Frontlines: The Latest from OutServe-SLDN

An article in the June 6th edition of the Washington Blade reported on SLDN’s leadership. Here is the response from SLDN’s Board Co-Chairs. Last week's article on Servicemembers Legal Defense Network failed to note the changing prospects for repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," and the steps SLDN is taking to better bring about this repeal. In the years since the passage of the disastrous "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law, SLDN's mission has remained the same: to secure repeal of the law and to help service members harmed by it. Much has been accomplished in these last 15 years, and we are closer now to success than ever before. Public opinion has dramatically shifted in our direction, and, as a result, our political strength is greatly increasing. We believe that the next Congress, to be elected this Fall, may offer our first real opportunity to consign "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" to the trashcan of history. We have taken two major steps to capitalize on the changing political scene. First, we hired Aubrey Sarvis as our Executive Director. He was formerly one of the handful of top staff members of the United States Senate, and is extremely well known in the Washington legislative community. He has close relationships with the leadership in both the House and Senate, and will be our main strategist working on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal. He is now building our staff with strong new hires with fresh skills and perspective, adding to the talent already on board. Second, we are greatly increasing the resources we need to accomplish this job. A national campaign to repeal DADT will cost a lot of money, and SLDN has started a sophisticated campaign to obtain the funds that will be necessary in this fight. For example, our annual dinner this year raised more than 10 times what our dinner raised in the past, and we are now running about a half million dollars ahead of our fundraising at this time last year. Much more is needed, of course, but we are well on the road. With more resources and the leadership that Aubrey provides, SLDN will mount the kind of savvy political campaign that can take us to victory. We owe it to our service member clients whose lives have been disrupted by DADT, to the broader GLBT community and to everyone in American society who values equality before the law. We urge all Blade readers to join us in the fight to get Congress and our next president to stop discrimination against gays and lesbians and get rid of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Sincerely, Zoe Dunning and Joe Tom Easley Board Co-Chairs Servicemembers Legal Defense Network