Press Releases
New York Congressman Asks State Department to Consider Hiring Military Linguists Dismissed
WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman Gary Ackerman (D-NY) today urged Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to consider hiring military linguists discharged under the federal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” ban on lesbian, gay and bisexual service members. During hearings on the 2008 State Department budget, Ackerman pressed Secretary Rice to address the government’s foreign language deficit by employing discharged lesbian and gay linguists with training in Arabic and Farsi. Secretary Rice responded that she “certainly will look at what we are doing right now,” when asked by Ackerman if the proposal was realistic. ...Read More
Actresses Pam Grier, Marlee Matlin, Cybill Shepherd & ‘The L Word’ Creator Ilene Chaiken Honored
WASHINGTON, DC – Showtime Network’s hit series The L Word will be honored by Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) at the organization’s 15th annual national dinner on March 24 in Washington, D.C. Series creator Ilene Chaiken and stars Pam Grier, Marlee Matlin and Cybill Shepherd will accept the group’s Randy Shilts Visibility Award on the show’s behalf. The award, given each year, recognizes accomplishments in bringing the plight of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender service personnel to the public’s attention. The L Word is receiving the award for an upcoming storyline that includes an openly lesbian service member. ...Read More
Servicemembers Legal Defense Network Launches Dynamic New Website
Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), a national legal aid and policy organization dedicated to repeal of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” ban on lesbian, gay and bisexual service members unveiled a newly remodeled website today, at www.sldn.org. The site, which allows visitors to correspond with Congress, service members to receive vital legal aid information and grassroots activists to spearhead repeal efforts in their communities, also highlights the stories and images of service personnel impacted by the law. ...Read More
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
