Equality Ride is trying to overturn the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy with an electronic petition Naval Academy midshipmen can sign stating their willingness to serve with openly gay service members.

Reitan, 23, an organizer with Equality Ride, said the group is trying to spread the word throughout the 4,000-strong Brigade of Midshipmen in Annapolis, Md., about the petition.

The petition is on the Web site of Equality Ride, a Lynchburg, Va.-based group targeting policies that expel openly gay students from private colleges and the nation’s military service academies.

For the petition, midshipmen who agree with the statement that they are “ready, willing and able to serve with openly gay and lesbian people” are asked to list their name, class, home address and e-mail address and submit additional comments, Reitan said.

He said the group is trying to verify that anyone who responds with an academy e-mail address is indeed a midshipman.

Through the petition, Reitan said the group wants to show that it’s not midshipmen, and by extension service members, who oppose openly gay people serving in the military.

“I think if we get to 50, we’ll make some type of announcement,” he said.

On Friday, about 40 members of the group walked onto the grounds of the Academy at Gate 1, after showing their IDs to Marine Corps gate guards.

The group originally wanted to talk to midshipmen they encountered on the yard about the military’s policy, which discharges openly gay service members or those who engage in homosexual conduct.

Before Friday, participants said they were told by academy officials that they faced the possibility of arrest if they came onto the yard to protest or engage midshipmen.

That didn’t happen, and as a result of what looked like an on-the-spot compromise, members were allowed inside. They had lunch at Dahlgren Hall and walked the grounds of the yard, saying hello to midshipmen hurrying along to class until mid-afternoon, but not talking about gay and lesbian issues.

Friday’s academy visit and the petition is just the beginning of the group’s campaign, Reitan said.

The group plans to come to the academy again, and visit the Air Force Academy and West Point next spring, as well as Christian colleges that expel students who are openly gay, he said.

You can see the petition here.