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PRESS RELEASE: SLDN Launches National Action Alert Ahead of Key Votes

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 20, 2010

Contact: Paul DeMiglio
(202) 621-5408 or pdemiglio@sldn.org

Servicemembers Legal Defense Network Launches National Action Alert Ahead of Key Votes
Repeal advocates are now looking ahead to critical votes in Senate Armed Services Committee and on the House floor

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Discharged ROTC Student Writes to the President: “If you repeal this law today, I’ll sign up to serve my country tomorrow.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), a national, legal services and policy organization dedicated to ending "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT), issued a national action alert today to members and supporters asking they contact key Senators on the Armed Services Committee as we approach the markup of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011. Advocates have been working to muster the 15 critical votes needed on the committee to include repeal. A similar alert was also sent in support of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to hold a floor vote on repeal next week. Advocates are working with Congressional leadership and allies to offer an amendment on the House floor adding repeal of DADT to the defense budget bill.

“For repeal to succeed, it is critical that all proponents for full repeal weigh in now, including the White House. We are only a few days away from this historic vote,” said Aubrey Sarvis, executive director for Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. “The objective is still to find a viable legislative repeal solution that meets the requirements of the President and Defense Secretary Robert Gates. The only major difference on the table is the repeal timeline and process. Senator Joseph Lieberman, Chairman Carl Levin and Rep. Patrick Murphy are working to resolve those differences and ensure a successful vote.”

Meanwhile, SLDN-client Sara Isaacson, a University of North Carolina Army ROTC student who was kicked out under DADT, sent a letter to President Barack Obama today. SLDN has also been posting a daily letter to the President from a person impacted by DADT. “Stories from the Frontlines: Letters to President Barack Obama” underscores the urgent need for congressional action and presidential leadership at this critical point in the fight to repeal DADT. More than 50 blogs and websites are currently highlighting the letters. You can read each letter by visiting: www.sldn.org/letters.

“In November of last year, I accepted that I’m a lesbian. It was the values of Honor and Integrity that forced me to come out to my Commander. I agonized wondering if I could go through my career lying about who I am, living in fear of being outed, and putting up emotional walls between me and my soldiers—the very people I must trust with my life and who would need to trust me with theirs. As much as I longed to be an officer, I realized I was not willing to compromise my Integrity to do so,” wrote Isaacson.

SLDN has been urging the President to voice his support for the legislative repeal of DADT this year. To date, the President and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates have not supported legislative action this year. With the midterm elections approaching, advocates have raised concerns about losing support for repeal in the next Congress. SLDN Executive Director Aubrey Sarvis sent a letter to President Obama on April 19 urging him to include repeal language in his defense budget recommendations. Read the letter: http://bit.ly/au1Cmi

Nearly three weeks ago, on the evening of Friday, April 30, the Obama Administration shot a simultaneous salvo – from the Pentagon and the White House – against advocates fighting for repeal this year. In a letter to the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Defense Secretary Robert Gates came out against lifting the ban before the Pentagon's Working Group finishes its DADT study in December. Hours later, the White House issued a statement deferring to Gates. In doing so, President Obama appeared to reverse on the commitment he made during his State of the Union Address when he said: “This year, I will work with Congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are. It's the right thing to do.”

To view the action alert click here.

Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (www.sldn.org) is a national, non-profit legal services and policy organization dedicated to ending “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” A journalists’ guide is available here.

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