HRC Targets Senators in New Campaign

Senators from eight U.S. states -- including Scott Brown of Massachusetts -- are being lobbied to support the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell."

The Human Rights Campaign is set to launch an advertising effort in newspapers, asking those who support the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" to contact their senators. Eight key states -- Alaska, Arkansas, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia -- are being targeted, with ads in local media, as well as field organizers recruiting veterans to speak out, and hold public events.

Full-page ads went in the The Plain Dealer of Cleveland, the Boston Herald, The Virginian-Pilot of Norfolk, and The Indianapolis Star on Monday. The ad calls on senators to vote for the National Defense Authorization Act, which funds future and ongoing defense programs, and this year includes an amendment to repeal the military's ban on openly gay service members.