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Veterans and Families Gather for Veterans Day Memorial Service

Veterans and their families gathered on Sunday afternoon at the Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C., for a Veterans Day memorial service. Co-presented by SLDN and the Arlington Gay & Lesbian Alliance (AGLA), the service took place at the gravesite of former Air Force Sergeant Leonard Matlovich, the first gay service member to fight the ban on open service. Here, supporters commemorated the sacrifices of LGBT Americans serving in the past and present, and looked to the next steps in the fight to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

Attendees at Sunday’s service represented multiple generations, from those who served before “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” to those still banned from joining the military for the first time. Across generations, we are connected in our exclusion from military service, and we form a strong unit mobilized for change. Even many who have waited decades for the ban to be lifted are not giving up.

“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal has experienced some recent setbacks, but we still have a chance this year for the Senate to pass the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which provides a path to repeal. The window is narrow for such passage during the Senate’s lame duck session, so we must be clear that repeal is a high priority. As Americans who honor the sacrifices of all of our veterans and current service members, we need to speak up now and tell the Senate that we won’t stand for inaction or more delay.

This Veterans Day, let’s commemorate LGBT veterans by pushing for repeal of the law that continues to shamefully dishonor them. Call your senators now at (202) 224-3121 and urge them to make “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal a priority during the lame duck session.

11-08-10 By Elizabeth Shirey, Grassroots/Policy Advocate |