New Mexico Governor and Democratic presidential contender Bill Richardson wants an end to the U.S. military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy.

“I voted against it when I served in Congress,” Richardson told the AP in Santa Fe, referring to the ban on openly gay service members, signed into law by then-president Bill Clinton in the 1990s. “People should not be judged based on their sexual orientation. Throughout my entire career I have fought for equal rights and against discrimination of any kind.”
Richardson added that Pace’s remarks were “unfortunate” and called on President Bush to condemn them. In his interview with the AP he also pointed to his own pro-gay record: his support of civil unions and his signing into law a state measure that provides civil rights protections for gays and lesbians.

Richardson’s comments come after Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Peter Pace’s comments calling homosexuality immoral. Richardson isn’t the first Democratic presidential hopeful to denounce the comments. Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have also come down against Pace. What will be interesting to see is how the Latino community reacts to Richardson’s position on the GLBT community considering how many Latinos are socially conservative, that is to say, homophobic.

Via / The Advocate