Frontlines: The Latest from OutServe-SLDN
Nick Kelly, Dells Country Progressive Voices, WI
I’ve been a gay activist for 38 years now - from the 1969 beginnings of gay liberation to the very current fight against the marriage amendment here in Wisconsin. I lived in Chicago for many years and it was easy to be involved in many different community activities. But now, I live in Baraboo which is a town of 11,000 people and the chances of being a gay activist are limited.
And this atmosphere is quite often a challenge but I do find ways to do something for the larger gay community. And one way recently was to find a speaker on the DADT topic for the Dells Country Progressive Voices peace group which I work with. At first,I thought that getting a speaker from this big national organization might be nearly impossible but I went ahead and contacted SLDN anyway. I knew about their work, have sent them contributions and thought they could help. My email request went out and the very next day I got a response from Jason Knight who is a Communications Associate at SLDN. This was truly the “power of one” in action.
He informed me that SLDN did indeed have a speaker’s forum and that if I could meet the fee and the plane fare we would be in business. Well, my Voices group does not have a budget for much of anything and we get a lot of services for free. I told Jason this and he said he’d work on it anyway.
And much to my amazement he did come up with a speaker who would drive up from Chicago to speak to our group with no fee attached. And so it was, after many emails and much organizing that Jean Albright came to the Wisconsin Dells on October 18 to our Voices meeting. I was really amazed that she was there, in person, and a Board member of SLDN and we were sharing Chicago stories together.
Voices had gotten quite a bit of publicity on this event. There was a PR news release and then a feature article in the Baraboo News Republic and a picture of the steering committee of Voices with myself included on the front page. But I’m afraid we didn’t attract the size of a crowd I was hoping for. Last year when a debate was sponsored about the marriage amendment the double room was filled to over-flowing with interested folks. And it was a hot topic.
But after some reflection, I now feel that the issue of gays and lesbians in the military has a “soft” interest to the people around here. They don’t understand how important it is not only to the gays and lesbians who are forced to leave their military service but that it’s also a loss to our country and our national security. We lose some very talented and dedicated service members and the members lose their careers in the military.
Overall, I thought that Jean did a fine job of explaining the situation and what SLDN is trying to do to rectify this gross injustice against a particular group of people – and especially since these are gays and lesbians who want to willingly serve our country in military service. But have been denied the opportunity to be honest about who they are as part of that service. Or kicked out because of it.
All in all I feel the evening went well and it gave me re-newed energy to want to be involved with SLDN. I feel this organization did an excellent job of meeting my needs to get the word out to parts of rural Wisconsin. I think we gave it a good start that evening. And I look forward to being able to contribute more toward the goals that SLDN sets and working with Jean on projects like this piece I have written. It feels great to finally, after all these years, be doing something that serves the gay-lesbian community and my country as well.
Nick Kelly
Baraboo, WisconsinLabels: DADT, guest blogger, other blogs, Wisconsin Dells
10-31-07 Comment (1)
‘Faith In America’ Calls for Repeal of DADT
Faith in America, Inc., an advocacy organization fighting to end "bigotry disguised as religious truth" toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered persons, is calling for an immediate repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell", and the passage of the Military Readiness Enhancement Act (HR1246)through Congress.
The press release, issued on October 23rd by the organizations executive director Jimmy Creech went on to say, "General Peter Pace recently declared homosexuality to be “immoral,” based on his religious upbringing. Such misguided denunciations in the name of God are not new. In the past, slavery and racial segregation were said to be “ordained by God” and women were denied equality with men because “God made them to be man’s helpmate, not man’s equal.” The Bible, it was claimed, said so."
"[This]is a powerful statement just released by "Faith in America" and Jimmy Creech regarding the repeal of DA/DT," said retired Army Colonel Paul Dodd, a member of SLDN's Military Advisory Council. "I am extremely grateful to Jimmy and his wonderful organization for issuing this statement, and for their bold and courageous initiatives on behalf of the entire lgbt community."
You can read more about Faith In America and their efforts on their website here.
-Jason KnightLabels: don't ask don't tell, faith in america, hr 1246, take action
-----10-30-07 Comment (0)
SLDN in Atlanta
October has been a great month for SLDN in Atlanta! I joined the Board of Directors this past summer, and arranged for Sharra Greer to be our guest speaker at Atlanta’s annual GLBT attorney's dinner on October 18th. Sharra graciously accepted and delivered a dynamic talk to about 175 lawyers and Judges, providing an insightful perspective into SLDN’s critical work and eloquently explaining why the gays-in-the-military issue matters to Georgians. Sharra’s message was very well received, as will it ought to be. Georgia is home to over 33,000 gay and lesbian Veterans, according to the Washington, DC think-tank the Urban Institute.
The following evening, October 19th, my life partner Kevin and I hosted an SLDN fundraiser at our home at which we honored two special local heroes, Atlanta City Council Woman Ann Fauver and openly gay World War II Veteran Jack Strouss. Ann, who is openly lesbian, was presented with the SLDN Atlanta Leadership Award for her sponsorship of a resolution passed by the Atlanta City Council calling on Congress to end Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. This distinguished Atlanta as the first city in the deep south to pass such a resolution, and evidences SLDN’s growing grassroots support for repealing the ban. Jack was presented with the SLDN Atlanta Service Award for his service and sacrifice for our nation as part of the “greatest generation”. Jack shared the story of how his troop carrier was sunk by a German submarine as it traveled across the English channel carrying him and hundreds of other soldiers towards the shores of Normandy. Jack was one of the few who survived, which allowed him to continue in the fight against Nazi tyranny and, later, to become the apple of many a GI’s eye as he played the piano in the enlisted men’s clubs during the later Allied occupation.
This represents a terrific beginning to SLDN’s new presence in Atlanta. Atlanta is a city that beams brightly as a beacon of acceptance of GLBT people, and those many of us who – despite being “deep in the heart of Dixie” – are living our lives out and proud take great comfort in the knowledge that our efforts and example are truly making a difference in our community’s fight for the Freedom to Serve.
Click here to find out about upcomming SLDN events in your community!
-Jeff Cleghorn
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10-26-07 Comment (0)
‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ in Real Time?
Tonight's broadcast of Real Time with Bill Maher has a line-up that is almost sure to broach the issue of gays in the military at some point during the hour.
Bill's panelists this evening are retired General Wesley Clark; lesbian tennis star Martina Navratilova; and openly gay blogger Andrew Sullivan. Clark has been talking about repeal while publicizing his book, and Sullivan and Navratilova have long been on record opposing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
Real Time airs at 11pm EST on HBO. If the panelists discuss the issue, we'll have more coverage after the show here at Frontlines.
- Steve RallsLabels: in the news, on tv
-----10-26-07 Comment (0)
Washington Post: Maintaining Ban is Shortsighted & Unjust
This morning's Washington Post includes an editorial from the paper calling for repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." The Post still holds the record for the most pro-repeal editorials; the paper's editorial board has demanded an end to the law more than a dozen times. (Just a few of the other Post editorials can be found here, here, here and here.)
Responding to the recent story about the military posting recruitment ads on an LGBT website, The Post writes that, "Since 1993, more than 11,000 people have been discharged from the services because of their homosexuality. Of those, 800 were in positions deemed 'mission-critical' by the Pentagon. Those would be combat engineers, medical professionals and linguists (58 of whom spoke Arabic) -- the very people the Army, Navy and Air Force were looking for when their job postings showed up on GLEE.com, which stands for Gay, Lesbian & Everyone Else."
"The whole sorry episode," the paper concludes, "highlights the absurdity of the ban on openly gay people in the military. Israel, Australia, Britain and 21 other countries have no problem with gays and lesbians serving openly in their armed forces. With its military stretched to the breaking point, the United States should follow their wise lead. That it doesn't is as shortsighted as it is unjust."
We couldn't agree more.
You can send a letter to the editor applauding this morning's editorial by emailing .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
- Steve RallsLabels: editorials, in the news, recruiting, the washington post
10-26-07 Comment (1)
Veterans Too team raises visibility at the Army Ten-Miler
Labels: Army ten miler, veterans
-----10-25-07 Comment (0)
Survey Says . . .
Benjamin Donner, a clinical psychology doctoral student at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, wants your help in carrying out his dissertation research on gay identity. Benjamin writes that, "It is my hope that this research project will shed greater light on those experiences that may be unique to specific cultural groups of GBQ males in the U.S. so that clinicians and organizations are ultimately better equipped to both assist and appreciate our strengths and needs."
If you are a male, age 18 or over, a resident of the U.S. and are "attracted to other biological males," you can participate in Benjamin's study by clicking here.
"All responses will be entirely anonymous - email and IP addresses will not be requested or even identifiable - and will be kept in the strictest of confidence," Donner says.
(However, please be aware that this is NOT an official SLDN survey, and SLDN makes no endorsement of the survey or claim regarding the survey.)
If you have any questions before taking the survey, you can contact Benjamin Donner directly at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
- Steve Ralls
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10-24-07 Comment (0)
Veterans in Congress March Toward Repeal
Finally: A movement in Congress we can all get behind.
A growing number of veterans in Congress are joining the fight to repeal the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law that excludes openly lesbian, gay and bisexual service members from the armed forces. A total of 17 Members who once served in the U.S. military are now co-sponsors of The Military Readiness Enhancement Act, Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher's bill to lift the ban. They include a Republican Vietnam War vet; a veteran of the war in Iraq; and the highest-ranking military retiree in Congress.
Who, after all, knows the best interests of our fighting forces better than the men and women who have worn the uniform?
Continue reading 'Veterans in Congress March Toward Repeal' at Bilerico.com.
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10-23-07 Comment (0)
Q & A with Aubrey Sarvis
The Advocate has posted its Q & A interview with SLDN executive director Aubrey Sarvis online. Here's an excerpt: What is priority number 1 as you embark on this challenge? Creating a national political campaign. This is a new commitment from the board, and it and the staff are committed to raising the resources to mount this. It’ll look like a traditional national presidential campaign: We’ll go to targeted congressional districts; we’ll focus on targeted states. The organization has already been doing that, but we have to do a hell of a lot more. What else will you do? We have to convince our supporters and friends of a new sense of urgency, to renew their investment with us. We already know our [$2.8 million] budget has to be doubled within the next 18 months. A national campaign costs money. We also have to look at a broader coalition. This fight has to look like those that led to the [1964] civil rights legislation. What we’re asking Congress to do is to give us a civil rights bill. This issue is not just a gay issue. It is job discrimination, and it should be important to all Americans. Click here to read Andrew Noyes' entire interview. - Steve RallsLabels: in the news
-----10-23-07 Comment (0)
5 New House Members Cosponsor the Military Readiness Enhancement Act
In a show of support indicating growing Congressional interest in repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tellâ€, five new House Members have added their names to the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, bringing the total number of cosponsors to 137, a historic high. Representatives Al Green (TX), Patrick Murphy (PA), Jesse Jackson, Jr. (IL), Ron Klein (FL), and Mike Thompson (CA), all Democrats, have joined the effort to rid the military of the discriminatory 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' law. Hailing from the South, West, East, and Midwest, they show that repeal of DADT is not just a “blue state†concern. Murphy, an Iraq war veteran and a member of the House Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee which has jurisdiction over “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tellâ€, is especially well-situated to promote repeal. It was at a hearing of this Subcommittee that Chairwoman Susan Davis (also a cosponsor) recently pressed the Army, Army National Guard, and Pentagon on the negative impact of the loss of servicemembers due to DA,DT. -Julie Kruse
Labels: cosponsors, hr 1246, in the news, MREA
-----10-22-07 Comment (0)
