News Archive
Obama Team Denies it will Delay “Don’t Ask” Repeal
A member of Barack Obama's transition team is denying media reports that the president-elect has decided to delay efforts to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" until 2010. An Obama transition team spokesperson, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the decision on how to approach repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," which prohibits open service based on sexual orientation, would be made after more experts have joined the Obama administration. ...Read More
The Defense We Need, And Can Afford
The new defense secretary and the Joint Chiefs of Staff must eventually acknowledge what many major corporations, city and county fire and police departments around the country, and 24 of our international military allies already know and practice: Sexual orientation bears no relationship to job performance. ...Read More
The End of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell?”
The lead sponsor of a bill to overturn the controversial "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" ban said the law could conceivably be passed in the first year of President-elect Obama's administration. A bill to replace "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" with a policy of nondiscrimination has 149 co-sponsors in the House, including California's Ellen Tauscher, a Democrat. Tauscher said with the new administration, the timing is right to try and pass the bill. ...Read More
Admirals, Generals: Repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’
More than 100 senior military commanders called Monday for repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," according to a statement obtained by the Associated Press. The officers' statement points to data showing there are about 1 million gay and lesbian veterans in the United States, and about 65,000 gays and lesbians currently serving in uniform. The military discharged about 12,340 people between 1994 and 2007 under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," according to the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. ...Read More
We Won, We Lost. What’s Next for 2009?
Metro Weekly talks to SLDN's Aubrey Sarvis about what an Obama presidency means for the future of LGBT rights, especially with respect to the prospects for overturning "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and how our community can mobilize to effect positive change. ...Read More
Nunn’s Role in Obama Transition Team Draws Speculation
One former U.S. senator with an anti-gay past was confirmed to be working in an advisory role for Obama's transition team. Sam Nunn, a former Democratic senator from Georgia and architect of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," is playing an informal senior adviser role through the defense transition process, according to the transition team. SLDN's Aubrey Sarvis said he needed "clarification" on Nunn's role in the Obama transition team before he could offer an opinion on the situation. ...Read More
“Lesson” of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”
In the early part of his administration, then-President Bill Clinton's handling of gays in the military is what Rahm Emanuel, President-elect Barack Obama's chief of staff, believes led to voters putting Republicans in charge of Congress just two years after Clinton took office. The "lesson," Emanuel says, is to "Do what you talked about on the campaign." This conclusion, however, leaves LGBT advocates like Servicemembers Legal Defense Network Executive Director Aubrey Sarvis asking where repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" fits in to the emerging policy agenda on Capitol Hill and in the White House. ...Read More
What’s Next for the LGBT Community?
Metro Weekly asked the leaders of a number of national LGBT and HIV/AIDS organizations, including Aubrey Sarvis of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, their thoughts on the new administration, what the community can achieve, and what the victory of anti-gay campaigns across the country means for our community. ...Read More
LGBT Veterans Renew Call for Equality
This Veterans Day SLDN is collaborating with allies around the country in a host of educational and public awareness initiatives designed to inform the public on issues related to "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and the urgent need for repeal so that all veterans are honored and respected regardless of sexual orientation. ...Read More
3-Minute Interview: Sgt. Darren Manzella
Former Sergeant Darren Manzella has worked with the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network since his discharge from the U.S. Army to advocate the repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law. SLDN is a non-partisan, nonprofit, legal services, watchdog and policy organization dedicated to ending discrimination against and harassment of military personnel affected by "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." The Baltimore Examiner asked Manzella about his experience, which will be retold Tuesday during a Howard County chapter of the Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays event in Columbia. ...Read More
