Frontlines: The Latest from OutServe-SLDN
SLDN Week in Review: February 13-17, 2012
02-19-12 By Zeke Stokes, SLDN Communications Director | Comment (0)
Oklahoma DADT Bill: SLDN Calls on National Guard to Weigh In
02-17-12 By Jeremy Wilson-Simerman, SLDN Government Affairs Director | Comment (0)
You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby—More Combat Opportunities for Women
02-12-12 By Captain April F. Heinze, U.S. Navy (retired) | Comment (0)
SLDN Week in Review: February 6-10, 2012
02-10-12 By Zeke Stokes, SLDN Communications Director | Comment (0)
SLDN Week in Review: January 30 - February 3, 2012
SLDN Client Set to Meet with Boehner Staff on DOMA. In December, CW2 Charlie Morgan, a plaintiff in SLDN's lawsuit challenging the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and three other federal statutes, wrote a letter to House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) urging him to decline to defend the case, should it come before his Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group for a decision. After a number of unsuccessful attempts by CW2 Morgan to schedule a meeting, Andrea Stone of the Huffington Post requested comment from the Speaker's office in the course of doing a story on the issue. Her piece, which may be found here, resulted in the scheduling of a meeting for CW2 Morgan in Washington, DC next week. Get those details here in a follow up piece by the Huffington Post.
SLDN Ramps Up Pressure on the Pentagon. This week, SLDN called on Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta to take immediate action on equal recognition, benefits and family support for gay and lesbian service members as we passed the one-year anniversary of the release of Department of Defense policy guidance on the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) and the commitment from senior Pentagon leaders to study this issue and create a path to equality for all service members. To read the news release, click here.
SPLC Files Lawsuit. This week, the Southern Poverty Law Center filed a new lawsuit, Cooper-Harris v. U.S., that seeks equal recognition, support, and benefits for a disabled veteran and her same-gender spouse. SLDN supports this suit and released this statement.
SLDN on the Road. SLDN's Government Affairs Director Jeremy Wilson-Simerman and Legal Director David McKean attended the annual Creating Change conference in Baltimore last weekend. Jeremy writes in this blog about his presentation to conference attendees about the work remaining to be done to achieve full LGBT equality in the armed forces.
SLDN Board Member Mourns the Loss of David Guy-Gainer. The staff, board, and Military Advisory Council of SLDN were saddened to learn this week of the passing of a board member and stalwart advocate for LGBT equality in the military. Executive Director Aubrey Sarvis released this statement on Friday.
02-03-12 By Zeke Stokes, SLDN Communications Director | Comment (0)
Make History in Uniform at SLDN’s Twentieth Annual Dinner
02-01-12 By David McKean, Legal Director, SLDN | Comment (0)
Creating Change: The Fight For Full Equality Marches Forward
Over the weekend, SLDN attended the 24th annual Creating Change, a conference on national LGBT equality hosted by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. This event brings thousands of people together, from activists and advocates at the state and local level, to lobbyists and executive directors of state and federal campaigns and organizations. Over five days, a variety of meetings, events, and workshops take place, helping members of the LGBT community educate themselves about various aspects of the equality movement and how we can all work together and share best practices to achieve our shared goals.
On Friday evening, SLDN's Legal Director, David McKean, and I led a caucus discussion on the issues facing LGBT service members in the post-"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) military. The audience was comprised mostly of active duty and reserve service members as well as veterans.
At the heart of the session, David and I covered the five areas on which SLDN is focused now that repeal of DADT is done. They include calling on the Obama Administration to issue an executive order or directive, prohibiting discrimination and harassment in the military on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. These would give service members recourse, outside the chain of command, should they be facing harassment or discrimination.
We discussed SLDN's new landmark court case, fighting for equality of benefits and support for LGBT service members. Apart from the litigation, we talked about SLDN's petition to Secretary Panetta that all benefits and family support services not blocked by DOMA or other federal statutes be conferred upon legally married same-gender service members and veterans. And of course, you can't talk about denial of benefits and not talk about repeal of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). It is among SLDN's top priorities.
We highlighted SLDN's ongoing commitment to transgender service. Barred by outdated medical and conduct regulations that were not a part of DADT, transgender service members face the threat of discharge daily. SLDN is working to overturn these regulations, and we know that a large-scale, well-funded, and sustained strategic education campaign about transgender military service is a necessity in order for us to achieve change in this important area.
Finally, we talked about our work to clean up the discharge paperwork for those discharged under DADT or the prior regulatory ban.
The upcoming elections in November - and the possibility of a majority in Congress or a new administration hostile to LGBT equality - also loomed large in our discussions on Friday and were the backdrop of a number of other workshops at Creating Change. While we do not know what the future will bring, SLDN remains on the front lines protecting and defending the progress we have made even as we push for more. And that is where we'll be until the job is done.
For more about SLDN's newest initiatives aimed at achieving full equality in the military, click here.
01-30-12 By Jeremy Wilson-Simerman, SLDN Government Affairs Director | Comment (0)
SLDN Week in Review: January 23 - 27, 2012
01-27-12 By Zeke Stokes, SLDN Communications Director | Comment (0)
Saluting the Honorable Alison J. Nathan
01-22-12 By Aubrey Sarvis, Army Veteran and SLDN Executive Directors | Comment (0)
SLDN Week in Review: January 16-20, 2012
01-20-12 By Zeke Stokes, SLDN Communications Director | Comment (0)
