Martin Heinrich Official PhotoCongressman Martin Heinrich, D-Albuquerque, is on board with a bill designed to repeal the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) law established in 1993. The law bars openly gay men and women from serving in the military.

Last week, Heinrich’s colleague U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Lujan, D-Santa Fe,  came out in favor of repealing DADT.

Once again, the blog Democracy for New Mexico broke the news with a statement from Heinrich:

Serving in the military is one of our most honored and sacred traditions as Americans. To ban someone from serving their country because they are gay only weakens our nation’s security and jeopardizes the prosperity of our country. Thousands of loyal Americans are currently being told that they cannot fight for their country that they love. The current policy of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is unfair, counterproductive to the advancement of the armed forces and gays and lesbians, and simply must be changed.

President Barack Obama has said he will not stop the discharges that occur because of DADT, but instead says that any effort must come from Congress.

The repeal is widely supported among Americans.