Frontlines: The Latest from OutServe-SLDN

It’s Hailing Gay In Texas

I just returned from a trip to Lubbock, Texas, where I survived a tornado warning and two hail storms (but not that other storm that's coming...).

I had the privilege of speaking at Texas Tech Law School and at the local PFLAG chapter about the challenges faced by those serving under DADT. Paul Scott, ED of Equality Texas, also spoke about their current initiatives in the Statehouse. One teacher told me that parents would have pulled their kids from her classroom if they knew her kids were gay, because apparently not only does it rain gay, but you can spread it and catch it. Faith, another person explained, is unfortunately frequently used as a basis for discrimination in Texas... much as we saw Peter Pace using his faith to justify his support of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" when he called gay service members "immoral."

While there is a small but strong, warm, and welcoming community in Lubbock, I came to appreciate how difficult it must be for our service members living in small towns around the world - isolated, without large LGBT communities, and few to whom they can safely confide.

That's why SLDN is here - to take their calls and be that lifeline when they are most in need.

04-22-09 By Aaron Tax, SLDN Legal Department Co-Director |