About the SLDN Guide
This information is excerpted from Freedom to Serve: The Definitive Guide to LGBT Military Service. To download the full guide, click here.
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This Guide provides lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender service members with a comprehensive overview of laws and policies that are relevant to their military service, as well as practical information for advocates and friends of gay and transgender service members. The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) is a legal aid and advocacy organization devoted to ensuring equality in military service for LGBT service members and to representing members of the military and their families against discriminatory policies and regulations. SLDN provides confidential legal assistance on any issue relating to their sexual orientation and military service, at no charge to LGBT service members, their families, partners or friends.
Information in this guide should help service members make informed decisions about how to lead their lives and how to serve successfully in an era of open service. It may also help service members understand how to protect themselves if need be, and how to respond if they are targeted in any way. This guide does not, however, provide comprehensive counseling for service members, nor is it a substitute for seeking help from an SLDN attorney, a military attorney or a civilian attorney familiar with military law. Each service member’s situation is different and must be evaluated and handled based on its own facts.
Every LGBT service member should know the information contained in this guide. Regulations of the individual services generally mirror the DoD directives with some minor differences. It is important to review the entire guide before studying the individual sections. This will provide an overview of the laws and policies, which is necessary to understand each of the sections and how they work together, on paper and in practice.
For free, confidential legal counseling, contact:
Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN)
(800) 538-7418 (Toll Free)
(202) 328-3244 (Phone)
(202) 797-1635 (Fax)
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) (e-mail)
www.sldn.org (website)
P.O. Box 65301
Washington, D.C. 20035-5301
The military also offers free legal counseling. If you choose to take advantage of this benefit, make sure that you clarify that the military attorney with whom you are consulting is a defense attorney and that your conversation is confidential. The appropriate service offices are listed in the Additional Resources section of this Guide.
Have a question? Contact SLDN by clicking here.
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