Press Releases
First Circuit to Hear Oral Arguments on March 7 in “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Case
BOSTON, MA – The federal First Circuit Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments on March 7 in Cook v. Gates (formerly Cook v. Rumsfeld), a constitutional challenge to the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” ban on lesbian, gay and bisexual service members. The lawsuit, originally filed in December 2004 on behalf of veterans dismissed under the law, seeks the plaintiffs’ re-instatement in the armed forces and the end of the ban on open service. The plaintiffs are represented by Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) and the law firm of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP. ...Read More
Former Defense Secretary William Cohen Says Congress Should Re-Visit “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”
WASHINGTON, DC – In an interview on Tuesday evening with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, former Secretary of Defense William Cohen indicated that Congressional leaders should re-visit the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” ban on lesbian, gay and bisexual service personnel. “It’s time to start thinking about it and starting to discuss it,” Cohen said in an interview regarding a January 2 op-ed by retired Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff John Shalikashvili. “I think what we're hearing from within the military is what we're hearing from within society, that we're becoming a much more open, tolerant society for diverse opinions and orientation,” Cohen said, referring to the ban as “a policy of discrimination.” ...Read More
Retired Joint Chiefs Chairman Calls for Repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”
WASHINGTON, DC – In an op-ed published in Tuesday’s New York Times, John M. Shalikashvili, retired Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, says Congress should give “serious reconsideration” to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the ban on openly lesbian, gay and bisexual military personnel. Shalikashvili, who supported the ban on open service in 1993, writes that “I now believe that if gay men and lesbians served openly in the United States military, they would not undermine the efficacy of the armed forces,” and goes on to say that “Our military has been stretched thin by our deployments in the Middle East, and we must welcome the service of any American who is willing and able to do the job." ...Read More
New Poll Shows Military Personnel are Comfortable Serving with Gay Colleagues
WASHINGTON, DC – A new poll from Zogby International and the Michael D. Palm Center reveals that U.S. military personnel are increasingly comfortable serving with openly gay colleagues. The poll, released today, reveals that 73% of military members are comfortable with lesbians and gays. Nearly one in four (23%) service members report knowing for sure that someone in their unit is lesbian or gay, including 21% of those in combat units. ...Read More
Test
WASHINGTON, DC - This Sunday’s edition of the award-winning CBS newsmagazine 60 Minutes will include a story by correspondent Lesley Stahl about reports from Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) of a growing number of openly lesbian and gay troops in the United States armed forces. The segment will also feature an exclusive interview with SLDN client and openly gay Army Sergeant Darren Manzella, who has served a tour of duty in Iraq and is now serving inside Kuwait. Manzella tells Stahl that he has received overwhelming support from both his fellow soldiers and superiors since coming out last year. Stahl’s report also looks at SLDN’s work in assisting service personnel such as Manzella, and the organization’s campaign to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” In addition to Manzella, Sunday’s segment also features SLDN board member Cholene Espinoza, an Air Force Academy graduate and the second woman to fly the U-2 reconnaissance aircraft. ...Read More
SLDN’s 15th Annual National Dinner to Honor Showtime’s ‘The L Word’
What: Servicemembers Legal Defense Network’s (SLDN) 15th annual national dinner, benefiting SLDN’s legal aid and advocacy work to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” ...Read More
SLDN Calls on White House to Re-Consider ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ in Light of Iraq Study Group Report
WASHINGTON, DC – Warning that “all of our efforts in Iraq, military and civilian, are handicapped by Americans’ lack of language and cultural understanding,” the Iraq Study Group, a panel of ten bi-partisan experts convened to examine military strategy in the war in Iraq, emphasized in a report this week the importance of recruiting and retaining language experts. The group’s report follows a February 2005 study by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), which found the armed forces have fired more than 300 language experts under the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” ban on lesbian, gay and bisexual service members, including more than 50 who were fluent in Arabic. Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), in light of those studies, today called on White House officials to reconsider their support for the military’s ban. ...Read More
A Countdown of the “Top 10 ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Stories of 2006”
Washington, DC – Frontlines, the official blog of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), today will begin a 10-day countdown of the “Top 10 ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Stories of 2006.” Blog authors will re-visit a significant story from the past year each day, counting down to the most important event related to the military’s gay ban on Friday, December 15th. ...Read More
Prominent Social Scientists Tell First Circuit No Evidence Exists to Exclude Gay Military Personnel
WASHINGTON, DC – In a brief filed last week with the First Circuit Court of Appeals, the American Sociological Association (ASA) and five distinguished social scientists indicate there is no evidence supporting the exclusion of openly gay military personnel from the armed forces. Those signing the brief, filed in support of the plaintiffs in Cook v. Rumsfeld, a constitutional challenge to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” include Dr. Aaron Belkin, Professor of Political Science at the University of California at Santa Barbara and Director of the Michael D. Palm Center (formerly the Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military); Dr. Melissa Embser-Herbert, J.D., Professor and Chair of the Department of Sociology at Hamline University; Dr. Elizabeth Kier, Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Washington; Dr. Robert MacCoun, Professor of Public Policy, Professor of Law and Affiliated Professor of Psychology at the University of California at Berkeley; and Dr. David Segal, Professor of Sociology and Affiliate Professor of Government, Politics and Public Affairs at the University of Maryland. ...Read More
Senior Military Leaders Ask First Circuit to Overturn “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”
WASHINGTON, DC – Fourteen senior retired military leaders have filed a brief urging the First Circuit Court of Appeals to reverse a lower court ruling regarding the federal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” ban on lesbian, gay and bisexual service members. The leaders’ brief was filed November 22 in support of the plaintiffs in Cook v. Rumsfeld, a constitutional challenge to the law. Those signing the brief include Colonel Graham Beard, USA (Ret.); The Honorable Carolyn Becraft, former Assistant Secretary of the Navy; Colonel Margarethe Cammermeyer, USA (Ret.); Captain Joan E. Darrah, USN (Ret.); Captain Robert D. Dockendorff, USNR (Ret.); Colonel Paul W. Dodd, USA (Ret.); Brigadier General Evelyn "Pat" Foote, USA (Ret.); Captain Sandy Geiselman, USNR (Ret.); Admiral John D. Hutson, USN (Ret.), President and Dean of Franklin Pierce Law School; Brigadier General Keith H. Kerr, CSMR (Ret.); Former Assistant Secretary of Defense Lawrence J. Korb, Ph.D; Colonel E.A. Leonard, USA (Ret.); Captain Robert M. Rankin, USN (Ret.); and Rear Admiral Alan M. Steinman, USPHS/USCG (Ret.). ...Read More
