Frontlines: The Latest from OutServe-SLDN

Remembering Aslan

I was sad to (belatedly) learn this week that Frontiers reporter Aslan Brooke passed away in early February. She was 67. Aslan was not just a reporter who covered the LGBT community with great passion, but she was also a friend, to both SLDN and to me. Aslan was a veteran, too, and as Frontiers editor Alex Cho noted in his tribute to her, "From 1961-1966, she served in the U.S. Army as a medic — and would later become an outspoken opponent of the military’s 'Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell' policy." Indeed, Aslan relished the opportunity to write about "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." One of her final pieces for SLDN - and the one I know she most enjoyed writing - was an interview with retired Army Lieutenant General Claudia Kennedy. General Kennedy, who spoke in 2006 at SLDN's national dinner, shared service stories with Aslan . . . along with a few antecdotes about her cats. As soon as the interview was over, Aslan called, beaming over the phone, to tell me how much she loved talking to the general. Her passion for the issue shows through in her wonderful story. I always knew when Aslan was on the other end of the line, because she was the only reporter, when I picked up the phone, who would always start the conversation with an enthusiastic "Hi, honey!" And always, at some point in the conversation, she'd inevitably say, "Well I just love you." We loved Aslan, too, and she will be sorely missed by all of us here at SLDN, and by all of us in the LGBT community. - Steve Ralls -----

03-02-07