Frontlines: The Latest from OutServe-SLDN

SLDN Week in Review: April 2-6, 2012

SLDN Highlights Work on Behalf of LGBT Veterans. SLDN is working continually to reach LGBT veterans who were discharged for sexual orientation - during DADT or before - to ensure they are aware of our free legal services aimed at helping change or upgrade their discharge paperwork. This can be important for reasons of dignity, benefits, and future employment. On Friday, The Advocate published an op-ed by SLDN Legal Director David McKean aimed at reaching this audience. To read the op-ed, click here.

Action in DOMA Cases. On Wednesday, a federal appeals court heard oral arguments in the cases of Gill v. Office of Personnel Management and Massachusetts v. United States. For a full analysis by reporter Chris Geidner of Metro Weekly, who was in Boston to attend the proceedings, click here.

SLDN Clients Speak at Historic Norwich University Pride Event. Chief Warrant Officer Charlie Morgan of the New Hampshire National Guard and her wife, Karen, keynoted the first-ever LGBT prom at Norwich University last weekend. Karen writes about their appearance and their ongoing fight for equality in a new blog post. To read it, click here.

Knights Out Makes History. SLDN's Aubrey Sarvis and David Hall attended the inaugural Knights Out Dinner at West Point last weekend. Sarvis writes about the historic event in a new blog post. To read it, click here.

SLDN Joins National Call to Action on Trayvon Martin Case. This week, SLDN joined a coalition of national LGBT organizations seeking justice in the Trayvon Martin Case. To read the letter, click here. On Thursday, Washington Post editorial writer Jonathan Capehart praised SLDN and other LGBT organizations for this letter. To read his column, click here.

04-06-12 By Zeke Stokes, SLDN Communications Director | Comment (0)

Fighting for Change:  Norwich University and Beyond

Last week was an historic one for Norwich University in Northfield, VT. Indeed, it’s obvious that the end of the school year is going to be very different from the beginning.  

The first class of cadets to allow members in their ranks to openly admit their sexual orientation will graduate in a few weeks. Thanks to the end of "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" (DADT), this will be true nationwide. Although private schools may not have banned LGBT students from their campuses, DADT was an obvious career ender for any gay student who wished to pursue a career in the military.

Norwich is special because one of their graduating cadets, Joshua Fontanez, has brought vision, passion and a sense of fairness to campus in the form of a LGBTQA club, which first met on the night of the repeal. This week saw the group host the nation’s first Pride Week to be held on a military college’s campus.

Vermont - and Norwich University - are used to being leaders on social issues. Norwich was one of the first schools to allow female cadets, and Vermont led the way in creating civil unions and then marriage equality for LGBT citizens. Saturday night, members of Norwich University’s club presented Josh with an award, which will become an annual tradition for the club. Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin opened the event by speaking about Vermont’s leadership on social issues such as abolishing slavery and creating equality for LGBT citizens.

Charlie and I were the keynote speakers at Saturday night’s prom. We saw obvious ties between Charlie’s experiences and those of the LGBT students at the school. In our speech, we reflected upon those similar experiences and offered encouragement and support for students to make a difference just by being who they are.

We lived - and Charlie taught high school - in a rural Kentucky community that seemed destined to be mired in discriminatory thoughts and practices forever due to the religious and political influences of their past. It could be a dangerous place to live or go to school as an openly gay person. There were no community or state laws to prevent harrassment or hate crimes. Bullying was not just an issue - it could be an everyday occurance.

To our amazement, we saw the community slowly open and accept LGBT students by allowing same-sex partners to attend prom and be represented in the school’s yearbook. Change was accompanied by struggle and resentment, but members of the school administration stepped up and backed Charlie’s decisions to recognize LGBT students. Just like the military, Pendleton County didn’t implode or disappear from the face of the earth just because it began to accept gay people in its community. Life continued as normal for most heterosexual people, but it became a little better for the LGBT students and citizens who lived there.

Charlie wasn’t able to give her speech on Saturday night due to her illness which has affected her voice in the last few weeks. We’ve talked about the irony of this because she has so much to say, and it’s frustrating to her to not be able to do it. We wrote the speech together so there was a give and take built in. Her stories and experiences were interspersed with my own thoughts and encouragements. We had planned to take turns speaking, but I ended up reading the whole speech that night.

Our main message was to pursue the things that you might think are impossible. Take the road less traveled. Make the hard decisions. Those are the the things that will make the world a better place. We never contemplated the possibility that we might sue our own government until the need arose. When that time came, we realized that it is possible to stand up for your rights and still love your country and want to be of service. Each step of the way has brought difficult decisions, but we’ve made them together and supported each other through each one. This is what families do for each other. You are never alone.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  Karen Morgan is the wife of Chief Warrant Officer Charlie Morgan of the New Hampshire National Guard.  The two are plaintiffs in SLDN's landmark case on behalf of married gay and lesbian service members and veterans challenging the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and other federal statutes that prevent the military from providing the same recognition, support, and benefits to all military families.  CW2 Morgan is battling incurable, stage IV breast cancer.  They have a five-year old daughter, Casey Elena. 

04-05-12 By Karen Morgan | Comment (0)

Guest Blog: Military Partners & Families Coalition Seeks Answers

Online survey released to gauge LGBT military health ...Read More

04-03-12 By Stuart I. Quinn, Program Coordinator, MPFC | Comment (0)

Knights Out Makes History

Saturday night, SLDN Development Director David Hall and I had the privilege of visiting West Point to attend the inaugural Knights Out Dinner on the historic campus honoring Captain Jonathan Hopkins, a 2001 graduate - and so many past, present, and future.  It was an honor to celebrate the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) with Knights Out co-founder and West Point Board Member Sue Fulton and many other friends who were a force in helping us get repeal.  LGBT cadets, graduates, friends and family gathered at the West Point Club to celebrate and salute distinguished LGBT alumni as well as the next generation of our leaders.

Such a gathering would not have been possible a few months ago - at least not without dire consequences. Indeed, this is why we fought, to be here in the open and to make sure there would be no consequences when we say who we are and toast our soul mates. Frankly, it was down right exhilarating to be in from the wilderness and in the club sitting down to a drink and a meal. 

Imagine. We were right there Saturday night at the West Point Club celebrating the freedom to serve. And everyone else was going about his or her business. No big deal.

While there is much more to get done, this weekend tells me we do have much to celebrate. I am grateful to all those who made Saturday night's historic event possible.

04-02-12 By Aubrey Sarvis, Army Veteran & SLDN Executive Director | Comment (0)

SLDN Week in Review: March 26-30, 2012

Doug Wilson Retires. This week, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Doug Wilson, an advocate inside the Pentagon for "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal, retired from his post. SLDN Executive Director Aubrey Sarvis was on hand for Thursday's ceremony featuring Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta. To read Aubrey's blog about the event, click here.

SLDN Client to Keynote History-Making Norwich University Event. Norwich University in Vermont, the nation's oldest private military academy, is making news this week as it holds its first-ever Gay Pride Week. On Saturday evening, Chief Warrant Officer Charlie Morgan of the New Hampshire National Guard, a plaintiff in SLDN's landmark litigation on behalf of married gay and lesbian service members and veterans, will keynote the week's culminating event, a prom hosted by the campus LGBTQ club. For more information, click here.

Meanwhile, we learned that Speaker of the House John Boehner has spent $742,000 so far defending the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) through his Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group (BLAG), including his expected intervention in SLDN's case, McLaughlin v. U.S. To read more, click here.

Latest Edition of OutServe Magazine Now Available. The first-anniversary edition of the OutServe magazine was published this week and is available for viewing and download online. It features a piece on chaplains co-authored by SLDN Board Member Tom Carpenter, as well as several references to our ongoing work in various other sections of the magazine. To get your copy, click here. 

03-30-12 By Zeke Stokes, SLDN Communications Director | Comment (0)

Honoring Doug Wilson

On this sunny spring afternoon in Washington D.C., the Pentagon held a simple and moving retirement ceremony for outgoing Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, Douglas B. Wilson. Headliners included Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Benjamin Rhodes, Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications at the White House.

Secretary Panetta described Doug's job as one of the "toughest in the building" and underscored a few of Doug's major contributions to the department and our country.  The Secretary was in fine form, and with just the right mix of seriousness and good humor, honored this good and accomplished man. It was clear there was tremendous respect and affection between these two professionals. I was also struck by Secretary Panetta mentioning Doug's partner, Tom - not once - but several times during his remarks at the ceremony.

Doug, in his clear but understated fashion, thanked several of his colleagues and coworkers and friends (giving a nice shout out to Sue Fulton at OutServe, Jonathan Lee at DOD, Navy Captain John Kirby in his department, and me). Clearly, Doug takes a great deal of pride in his work around repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," and he should; but I think Doug is proud of all the work he did at the department in behalf of all service members and their families. His team of 4,000 professionals communicated to the world what our armed forces were doing, whether it be how we were waging two wars or outlining to the American people and Congress a new defense strategy for the future. Doug was always about representing the service members and their work, determined to put their service, sacrifice and stories above all.

We owe Doug Wilson a great deal of thanks for his extraordinary service. I am proud of Doug and his work and honored that I had a chance to work with him these past two years.

03-29-12 By Aubrey Sarvis, Army Veteran & SLDN Executive Director | Comment (0)

SLDN Week in Review: March 12-16, 2012

SLDN Development Director David Hall Featured in New Book of DADT Essays. SLDN's David Hall reflects on his service to our nation and discharge under the repealed "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law in a new book of essays edited by J. Ford Huffman and Tammy S. Schultz. To read his essay and find out how to order your free copy of the book, click here.

SLDN Joins Pinterest. In an ongoing effort to expand its social networking reach, SLDN has joined the online community, Pinterest, which allows users to create virtual "pinboards" and link to things they care about, find interesting, or simply want to share with others. SLDN's first board is "LGBT Military Families" and may be found here. Be sure to "like" us and share our pins on your own boards.

Former Staffer Running Marathon to Raise Funds for SLDN. On Sunday, former SLDN staff member Elizabeth Shirey - now a law student at UCLA - will run a marathon to raise money for SLDN. She's just shy of her $1200 goal. If you'd like to contribute, you may do so online here. All contributions will go to SLDN.

Join SLDN in Miami Next Weekend. SLDN will host a rooftop reception in South Beach next weekend. Ticket prices vary and are just $25 for enlisted and junior officers of the military to attend. For more information or to RSVP, click here.

SLDN Annual Report Now Available Online. SLDN's 2011 Annual Report is now available online. Click here to download the interactive PDF.

03-16-12 By Zeke Stokes, SLDN Communications Director | Comment (0)

A Law That Said I Am Not Good Enough to Serve

I decided to join the Air Force in November 1995 when I went to the recruiting station with my friend Dave, who was also thinking about joining the Air Force. Our good friend Melanie had already signed up and was scheduled to leave in March. I was the last one to speak to the recruiter but the first one to leave for training.

I enlisted March 6, 1996, but I wasn’t new to the Air Force. My dad and stepdad had retired from the Air Force after serving 20-year enlistments, and I had spent my childhood in Japan and the Philippines.

The thought of “don’t ask, don’t tell” (DADT) never crossed my mind when I joined. I hadn’t come out to myself so didn’t consider myself gay. And I had never heard of DADT, or if I had I never paid attention.

It wasn’t until I arrived at Langley Air Force Base that I started realizing I was gay, and the Internet helped me understand there were other gay military people. While at Langley I didn’t have any gay friends, never went to any gay bars, or dated anyone. I was uncomfortable being gay and afraid of being caught. I was invited to a gay bar in Virginia Beach by one of the people I had chatted with online, and I decided to go. I drove there but never got out of the car. Instead I went home.

Then I moved to Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska, where I became more social and started meeting more gay people. I also met my first boyfriend.

As I started hanging out with non-work friends, I started getting questions at work. How was your weekend? Did you go on a date? I gave generic answers and never mentioned whom I was hanging out with. I started distancing myself from my coworkers so I wouldn’t have to answer questions. I kept my work life separate from my social life.

One of my gay Air Force friends had coworkers who knew he was gay and could not care less. When I would stop at his office they would ask me about my dating life and how things were going.

I never had any problems at work, although one of the guys in my squadron was gay and told me some people made comments about my being gay – a “faggot” – when I wasn’t around. I wasn’t bothered. I knew they were angry and venting when I went to the flight line to evaluate them on loading missiles and bombs on aircraft.

After I served six years, the Air Force let me out of my enlisted commitment so I could go into a two-year Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) program and come back as an officer. On August 20, 2001, I separated and started AFROTC the next day.

Three weeks later was September 11. I remember seeing the news, waking my roommate, who was active-duty Air Force, and telling him he needed to see what was happening. I think everyone in uniform that day realized everything was about to change.

My boyfriend was also in the AFROTC detachment at the University of Alaska in Anchorage. He was already a cadet when I joined, and his good friend, also a cadet, knew we were dating.

In my first year I moved up in leadership, received my pilot slot, was ranked first in my class, and was preparing to attend field training during the summer. One day I was waiting in the lobby at my AFROTC detachment for my semester review from my cadre member. I overheard the commander tell my advisor to call the Judge Advocate General (JAG) office, and that he wanted to talk again with a female friend of mine. I told my boyfriend that I suspected our friend might have told them we were gay.

A few months later I was at field training at Tyndall Air Force Base and called my boyfriend during base liberty. He told me he just met with the JAG and that we were being investigated. I tried to focus on passing field training, which I completed.

The day after I returned from field training I was called into the office. The JAG officer was waiting and had a lot of questions. I offered no comment, and I left not knowing what would happen.

The questioning took place while I was helping the other cadets as part of my assignment. My boyfriend and I were part of the cadet wing staff responsible for coming up with the plan for the fall semester. Before the classes started I got a call from my commander, who asked me to see him. I stopped at his office and he sat me down. He slid a piece of paper across the desk, and he told me he was dis-enrolling me from AFROTC due to homosexual conduct.

My Air Force career ended just like that. Not because I was horrible at my job or I did something wrong but because I am gay.

I remember walking out of my commander’s office. He walked with me while giving me instructions to turn in my uniforms. I remember taking my military ID card from my wallet and handing it to him. The NCO who handled all of our paperwork appeared and I could see the look of shock on her face as I handed over my ID card.

My boyfriend was discharged as well. All of my friends were shocked that I had been discharged but they were never told the reason why. One of my AFROTC friends told me some of rumors she had heard: Cheating, drugs, bad grades, security-clearance issues. But to my surprise no one ever mentioned DADT. When I finally started telling people the reason I was discharged they were shocked.

I called my parents and told them what happened. My stepdad told me he was disappointed with the Air Force but proud of me for everything I had accomplished. They were very supportive.

I was lucky to have an understanding family, great friends, and a boyfriend who knew what I was going through. I can’t imagine having to go through this alone, as some people do. The support made it easier for me to refocus and figure out what to do with my life now that my Air Force dreams were over.

I think about the Air Force every day and it still bothers me that I lost a great opportunity because of a law that said I am not good enough for the military because I am gay.

That is the reason I went to work for Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN). Not only did they provide helpful advice when I was being discharged but they have helped thousands of others who have gone through the same thing. They were instrumental in getting rid of this law so no one else has to go through the same pain I did.

I plan on going back into the Air Force and have talked to the Air Force Reserve recruiters. I am hopeful that I will again serve my country.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: David Hall enlisted in the Air Force in 1996 and was discharged under DADT in 2002. He is development director and information-technology manager at Servicemembers Legal Defense Network.

ABOUT THE ESSAY: This essay is an excerpt from "The End of Don't Ask, Don't Tell: The Impact in Studies and Personal Essays by Service Members and Veterans," co-edited by J. Ford Huffman and Tammy S. Schultz, Marine Corps University Press, March 2012, 254 pages.

To request a copy, write DADT Book, Marine Corps War College, 2076 South St., Quantico, Va. 22314

The views expressed in the book are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of the U.S. Government, Department of Defense, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Navy, Marine Corps University, Marine Corps War College, Marine Corps University Press or the Marine Corps University Foundation.

03-14-12 By David Hall, SLDN Development Director and IT Manager | Comment (0)

SLDN Week in Review: February 20-24, 2012

...Read More

02-26-12 By Zeke Stokes, SLDN Communications Director | Comment (0)