Remembering Gerry Studds

This morning, the LGBT community continues to remember former Congressman Gerry Studds, who passed away on Saturday. Studds was the first openly gay member of Congress, and a passionate advocate for allowing lesbians and gays to serve openly in the armed forces.

You can read SLDN's statement here. And we also wanted to share part of a message we received this morning from Cliff Arnesen, VP of New England GLBT Veterans. In his message, Cliff writes that "Gerry obtained a permit for the New England GL&B Veterans, Inc., Boston, MA, to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown. Thus, on May 5, 1993, I, along with officers and members laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery, to honor ALL gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered servicemembers who gave their lives in service to America."

Cliff also reminded us that it was in Gerry's office that American Veterans for Equal Rights (AVER), then known as the National Gay, Lesbian & Bisexual Veterans of America, was born. He was truly at the forefront of the effort to lift the ban.

And, as Cliff also noted in his email, "Gerry stood tall and showed America that a gay man with vision and courage, could 'lead and advocate' on behalf of heterosexual folks, as well as GLBT people in America and around the world."

- Steve Ralls