Frontlines: The Latest from OutServe-SLDN

Pride in Kansas City

This past weekend, I returned to my hometown of Kansas City, Missouri to represent SLDN at the KC Pride festival. Joined by my partner, Karen Hermann and my colleague, Victor Maldonado, we had no idea how busy we would be – the morning’s newspaper was never pulled out of the bag and our camera caught only a few moments of our two days at Pride. Our time was instead spent talking with over a thousand people from Kansas City and towns near and far in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Iowa. They were eager to sign our petition to Congress calling for the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Most of them knew about DADT, but some did not understand its impact. Too many, unfortunately, did. We heard dozens of stories from individuals who had lost their chance to serve their country because of the ban on gays in the military. Others had friends or loved ones who had experienced the sting of discrimination mandated by this law. One woman told us about a friend who was kicked out after someone found letters from her partner in her locker. One couple stopped by to show support for their gay son, who was stationed abroad. We heard stories of relationships that had broken under the strain of silence. We met a woman who wanted so badly to serve her country that to stay in the service, she married and shrouded herself in dishonesty and depression. Others were afraid to talk to us. Standing back looking at our booth, their fear and apprehension was evident. Victor or I were able to approach them and hand them wallet cards with information about their rights and how to reach SLDN if they ever needed help. Many current service members did not know about SLDN and were grateful to know that if they ever needed a lifeline, SLDN would be there. We appreciated the help of our volunteers, but even with their help, the long lines of people, hungry for information and eager to enlist in the battle against DADT, kept us on our feet and talking until our throats were sore. Despite the heat, despite our soreness, we were deeply humbled by the nearly 1,000 people who signed SLDN’s petition and we were honored to be able to speak to so many people who served our nation proudly both before and after DADT.

Labels: Pride

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06-03-08