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State Lawmaker Hopes To Keep Gays Out Of Va. National Guard

By: Jonathan Wilson // December 22, 2010
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Virginia Delegate Bob Marshall says he will propose a ban on gays in the Virginia National Guard in response to federal repeal of "don't ask, don't tell."
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Virginia Delegate Bob Marshall says he will propose a ban on gays in the Virginia National Guard in response to federal repeal of "don't ask, don't tell."

In Virginia, Republican State Delegate Bob Marshall from Prince William County says he plans to introduce a bill banning gays from the Virginia National Guard. Marshall says the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" overturns a 17-year policy that was working just fine, and upends more than 200 years of military wisdom.

He says he's not sure how his fellow lawmakers will react to his bill when the legislative session starts Jan. 12.

"I didn't ask any of my colleagues about this," Marshall says, "but I did ask a lot of citizens around Virginia, since March, and I've got overwhelming support for this."

But Marshall doesn't have support the most prominent fellow Republican in the state: Gov. Bob McDonnell.

McDonnell says he disagrees with the repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy based upon his own military service, but he says the state's National Guard should adhere to federal guidelines.

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