It’s too rare in life, and in politics, that we have a chance to correct a grievous mistake; especially one that has had such a tremendous cost for thousands of individuals, and for our entire country.

That makes it even more important – and urgent – that we capitalize on the opportunity before us to repeal the military’s misguided “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.

This moment in time – which includes not just movement in lawsuits challenging the ban, but also federal legislation to overturn it – is our chance to demand that our Congress, our president and our military live up to the ideals our nation professes to value. Our servicemembers cannot fully live the values of integrity, honor or valor at the same time they are encouraged by their leaders to lie – about their own sexual orientation, or that of their friends and comrades.

We will have an historic opportunity when the public hearings take place in Congress on the bill that would repeal the ban. It’s been more than a decade since we have had the opportunity to really engage the American public in the conversation about why the ban doesn’t work, and to showcase the accomplishments of lesbian and gay servicemembers. We must seize this opportunity and show our fellow Americans how much we all lose when talented men and women who love their country are not allowed to serve in our military and protect our country, simply because they are gay, lesbian or bisexual.

We’ve come a long way in these past several years, and now we have a nation paying attention to the state of our military in a way we weren’t in 1993. Any reasonable person must agree that discharging more than 55 language experts who were fluent in Arabic (and nearly 250 other linguists proficient in a range of other languages) because they were gay, lesbian or bisexual doesn’t serve the interests of our national security. Since 1993, more than 11,000 military personnel have been discharged under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

This is just one example that makes the case even stronger for overturning the ban. In fact, just last week U.S. Congressmember Gary Ackerman asked Secretary of State Condaleeza Rice to hire the military linguists who had been discharged under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” And he did so with tongue-in-cheek humor. “For some reason, the military seems more afraid of gay people than they are [of] terrorists,” Ackerman, D-N.Y., said.

Ackerman’s humor points out the ridiculousness of this policy. And it’s not just GLBT people and organizations that are voicing opposition to the ban. Last month, two respected former top military officials expressed their support for lifting the ban. Retired Gen. John Shalikashvili, former chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and former U.S. Defense Secretary and Republican U.S. Senator William Cohen recently joined the ranks of those who believe the policy should be overturned.

Military service is an important opportunity for many members of our community. We cannot – and should not – accept our exclusion from any governmental institution, whether we personally want to be part of it or not.

I’ve been fortunate to have the opportunity to speak with veterans and others working hard to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Their stories of courage, service and perseverance are admirable. This is one of the defining issues of our times, and the stakes are high.

In San Diego, where we have a large military population, we have a unique opportunity – and responsibility – to lead the effort to overturn this ban. The Center is proud to work in partnership with Momentum San Diego and the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network and other veterans’ groups to engage our community in this battle. Three San Diego area congressmembers – Brian Bilbray, Duncan Hunter and Darrell Issa – clearly need more education on this issue, as they support the existing policy. They need to hear from you. To get more involved with the local efforts to overturn the ban, contact Ken St. Pierre at (619) 692-2077 ext. 104 or ken@thecentersd.org.

Our community members who are willing to make great sacrifices to serve their country must be able to do so openly and honestly.