Frontlines: The Latest from OutServe-SLDN

The Gayest Place on Earth

Last week, Kathi Westcott and I headed down to Orlando to staff the SLDN booth at Gay Days at Disney! In between having breakfast with Pluto and hanging out with Tigger in the Magic Kingdom, we spent three full days talking to thousands of people about “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and SLDN’s efforts to repeal the law. We spoke with current and former service members who’ve served in Iraq and Afghanistan, some who intend to serve until retirement and others who were discharged after only a few months simply because they are gay. We spoke to advocates and supporters from all over the country, but were especially touched by the stories from native Floridians, who find living in the Sunshine State particularly difficult. Florida has some of the most anti-gay laws in the US – impacting lesbian and gay families and often leaving children without the legal protections of state-recognized two-parent households. These folks were happy to sign petitions asking Congress to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” because they know what it’s like to be treated as second-class citizens. Kathi and I also ran into a couple of people who were skeptical of repeal and, for the most part, were successful in educating them about how DADT actually works and what repeal would mean to all of those who serve. We collected well over 1,000 signatures and spread the word not only about repeal, but also about our legal services work. To-date, SLDN has answered more than 8,300 calls for assistance and we continue to be here every day to assist the brave men and women who volunteer to serve our country. These lesbian, gay and bisexual service members deserve our respect and our gratitude, yet they still continue to be fired at a rate of 2 per day, simply because of their sexual orientation. After wrapping up our duties at the expo booth, Kathi and I managed to have a little fun too. We hung out with Pooh, Tigger and the rest of the Disney family while enjoying the thrills of Space Mountain, the dizzying spinning tea cups, endless choruses of “It’s A Small World After All….” and yes, we even waited on line in the blistering heat for the flying Dumbo ride!

Labels: Pride

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06-11-08