One Who Will Not Be Stopped

Congratulations to SLDN interim executive director Kathleen DeBold, who will be honored as one of the 21 Leaders for the 21st Century by Women's e-News on May 22. Kathleen has been chosen as one of "Seven Who Will Not Be Stopped." She'll be honored for her work as executive director of the Mautner Project.

Learn more about the award ceremony here; and more about Kathleen's pioneering work on women's health here.

All of us at SLDN are enormously proud of Kathleen. Please join us in saluting her for her amazing contributions to our community, and so many causes near and dear to our hearts.

- Steve Ralls

SLDN to Co-Present 'Semper Fi' at SF Film Festival

SLDN is proud to partner with Frameline to co-present Semper Fi: One Marine's Journey at the Frameline Festival in San Francisco, June 14-24, 2007.

Semper Fi is the story of Jeff Key (pictured), a gay marine from Parrish, Alabama, and his crisis of conscience while serving in Iraq. Key is a former SLDN client, and the film is based on his critically acclaimed one-man play, The Eyes of Babylon. From Frameline:

"Lance Corporal Jeff Key is one of the most patriotic people you'll ever meet. A gay man from Alabama, he felt there was something missing in his life, so, at age 34, he joined the Marines. They bent the rules to accommodate his age, but he kept his homosexuality a secret. Semper Fi blends documentary and interview footage with Key’s one-man theater performance about his tour of duty in Iraq as a closeted gay soldier. Semper Fi paints a refreshing portrait of a gay man we rarely meet and proves that patriotism, like sexuality, comes in many different packages."

For more information about the Frameline Festival, click here. And check here at Frontlines for more information, including dates and times, soon.

- Steve Ralls

In New Hampshire, Tackling Civil Unions & DA, DT

As same-sex couples in New Hampshire celebrate the recent passage of civil unions legislation there, questions are being raised about the impact of the bill on lesbian and gay military members.

From Foster's, in New Hampshire:

For some lawmakers and observers, the state Senate's Thursday passage of the civil unions bill signaled the beginning of legal and other challenges, including its effect on the New Hampshire National Guard.

"The bottom line is I believe that civil unions will endanger the military's 'don't ask, don't tell' policy," Wakefield Sen. Joseph Kenney, who joined nine other Republicans voting against measure, said in an interview after the vote.

Kenney, who served in Iraq with the Marines, said the military could learn of soldiers' civil unions through public town reports that list marriages, births and deaths, but added that someone who "values their military career" would not enter a union.

Military rules prohibit soldiers from being openly gay or lesbian, however, it will not ask for any sexual orientation. Soldiers found to be openly gay or lesbian could face expulsion, according to military policy.

Civil unions pose concerns from the perspective of "combat effectiveness, morale and unit cohesion," Kenney said.

Democrat Jim Splaine, an openly gay representative from Portsmouth, said Kenney's comments highlight the need for the military to overturn the current "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

"I'm amazed a state senator would use an argument like this," he said, noting "there's way too much paranoia around" the bill.

You can read the full debate in the New Hampshire press here, and learn the real story about civil unions & "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in the SLDN Survival Guide.

- Steve Ralls

The Campaign to Uninvite General Pace

Students at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business have launched a campaign to convince the school to disinvite General Peter Pace as keynote speaker of the 55th Annual Management Conference.

You may remember that General Pace found himself in a wee bit of trouble last month after making remarks referring to homosexuality as "immoral."

From the Campaign's website:

The first phase of the Campaign to Uninvite General Peter Pace is a petition calling upon the U of C and its Graduate School of Business to cancel the scheduled keynote address by General Peter Pace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at the GSB's 55th Annual Management Conference on May 18th, 2007, sponsored by Harris Bank, to be held downtown at the Gleacher Center and Hyatt Regency.

In the first three days following the petition's launch, more than 750 community members signed it. The signers, nearly all of them are members of the University of Chicago community, include GSB students, staff, faculty, and at least 20 GSB alumni. The overwhelming response to the petition drive demonstrates the profound shock and outrage of many members of University's GLBT community, and its allies, about the GSB's plan to go ahead with Pace's scheduled address under its auspices. The University of Chicago student organization Queers & Associates is planning a demonstration in front of the Hyatt on May 18th, as are several citywide community groups.

On April 21, the Deans of the GSB issued a statement confirming their plans to go ahead with Pace's talk. The statement makes no mention of any plans for programming, in a forum comparable to that being afforded to Pace in prestige, scale, or cost, that would address the status of GLBT people in management or business, or any other step that might ameliorate the immediate, concrete, and profound effects of Pace's talk on the climate for GLBT community members, both in and out of the closet. Instead, the statement suggests that a conference on the topic of "inclusion" will be held sometime next year. In addition, the GSB has not responded to requests to make public several facts about the Management Conference, including the dollar amount of any compensation or other consideration being furnished to Pace.

The GSB's statement claims that the idea of retracting Gen. Pace's invitation to speak "goes against principles of free speech, which we value greatly." While we, too, highly value freedom of speech, and we are deeply concerned about the way that "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy directly interferes with the free speech rights of Americans in uniform, we believe a distinction must be made between speech, on the one hand, and the extension of a platform for speech, on the other.

For more information, click here.

- Steve Ralls

If You Like SLDN.org . . .

. . . then you should meet one of the people behind our new site.

PC Magazine recently profiled Alan Emtage of Mediapolis in its 25 Years of PC Magazine issue. Alan worked on some of the programming behind our new website (which is engineered and made possible by the generous support of Mediapolis), and is recognized by PC for inventing the world's first search engine.

"There are two things you should know about Alan Emtage, the man who invented Archie, the world's first computer search engine," the magazine says. "One: Contrary to popular belief, he did not name his seminal search engine after a comic book. In fact, he loathes the Archie comics. 'It's the most insipid thing I've ever read,' he says. Two: He hasn't owned a computer since he parted ways with his Sinclair ZX81 back in 1983. 'Computers are my profession,' he admits. 'But they are not my hobby.'"

Luckily for us, Alan is pretty darn good at his chosen profession.

For more information on Mediapolis, click here.

- Steve Ralls

Clinton & Huckabee Talk About the Ban

The 2008 presidential contenders are talking about "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

USA Today reports that, during a campaign trip to Iowa, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton noted that "Right now, we are discharging soldiers at a time when we don't have enough people to do the missions we need around the world because they're gay. Not because they've done anything, but just because they're gay." Clinton went on to quote the late Sen. Barry Goldwater, a Republican who supported the rights of gay troops: "I think the question should be not whether you are straight, but whether you shoot straight."

A Republican candidate for the White House, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee (pictured), "left open the possibility that, if elected, he would . . . change the Pentagon's policy on gay service members, although he insisted he would take his cues from military commanders on both fronts," the Associated Press said.

Huckabee, the AP reported, said he would "leave it up to the military and let their recommendation stand" on whether to keep "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in place.

"I'm not sure that being homosexual should automatically disqualify a person from the military. If a person can do his or her job, you know that's not for me the biggest issue," Huckabee said.

(You can join the discussion about Huckabee's comments at Pam's House Blend.)

- Steve Ralls

Duty Bound: A Gay Linguist Speaks Out

The April 2007 issue of GENRE Magazine includes a special "From Where I Sit" column by an anonymous service member who discusses his views on being gay in the military and "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

The author, an Arabic linguist in the U.S. Navy, tells all about his experience in the armed forces. Here's an excerpt from his column:

"Looking back at the day I enlisted, I now realize the difficulty of being gay in the military lies not in the fact that I'm being harassed, condemned, taunted or shunned. In fact, it's just the opposite. I've developed countless, lifelong personal relationships in the Navy. Some of those closest to me know that I'm gay. And I'm sure if I came out to everyone, 90% of them would give me a dismissive "And ... ?" and then shrug their shoulders, and tell me to pass the salt."

"No, the hardest part about being gay in the military is knowing that my friends would fully accept me with no questions asked - but, I'm not allowed to let them. I'm not allowed to share my life with the men and women for whom I would give it, and who would do the same for me. I'm not allowed to develop personal connections with people with whom I am supposed to fight for our very freedom. And you want me to talk about morale? What some of the generals and politicians don't understand is that the overwhelming majority of servicemembers just don't care anymore. A recent Zogby poll showed that a tremendous 73% of active-duty servicemembers wouldn't care if someone in their unit were gay. In 1993, the percentage was 13%."

"I've always said that staying in the military is a bigger jab at the DADT policy than coming out in protest. In the end, history will show that we were willing to fight, bleed and die for a nation that discriminates against us. Why? Because that's not the America we know."

You can read the full column here, or pick up the current issue of GENRE.

- Steve Ralls

Dixon Steps Down

As many of you have no doubt already read, SLDN's long-time executive director, C. Dixon Osburn, is stepping down from his post at the organization. Dixon co-founded SLDN in 1993 with former Army Captain Michelle Benecke. Since then, through their leadership and dedication, SLDN has become a first-class advocacy organization, fighting on behalf of our men and women in uniform.

You can read the release announcing Dixon's depature here. And you can leave messages for him here in our comments section, or over at Pam's House Blend. I know he has been moved by the numerous well-wishes that have already poured in.

Under Dixon Osburn’s leadership, SLDN has:

• Provided legal assistance to 8,000 service members harmed by the gay ban;

• Filed a constitutional challenge, Cook v. Gates, to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell;’

• Supported introduction of legislation to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in the last two sessions of Congress;

• Obtained more than 36 changes to military policy and practice that benefit LGBT service members, including Executive Orders on hate crime sentence enhancement and protections in issuance of security clearances;

• Obtained the first ever Department of Defense regulations prohibiting anti-gay harassment;

• Cultivated two retired generals and one admiral to come out publicly for the first time in December 2003 – People Magazine named them as among their Most Influential Americans of 2003;

• Cultivated seven Army Colonels and Navy Captains to come out as gay in 2007 in The Advocate;

• Cultivated prominent military leaders to speak out against “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” including former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General John Shalikashvili; the Army’s first female Lieutenant General, LTG Claudia Kennedy; and a Navy lawyer partially responsible for helping the Navy craft the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, Admiral John Hutson;

• Secured an op-ed by Senator Alan Simpson (R-WY) calling for repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell;”

• Mobilized a mass media condemnation of remarks by current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Peter Pace defending “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” because “gays are immoral;”

• Obtained a decision in Marcum v. USA before the Court of Appeals of the Armed Forces that held the Lawrence decision applied to the military and is the best application of Lawrence to date; in the military, the decision has led the Army and Navy to overturn various sodomy convictions;

• Supported a law in 2004 that requires the Pentagon to provide Congress with data regarding all discharges from the military, including reason for discharge, the base where the discharge took place and demographic data about those discharged;

• Co-commissioned a 2004 Urban Institute study finding there are 65,000 LGB service members on active duty, in the reservations and National Guard and 1 million gay veterans in the U.S.; the same researcher calculated at SLDN’s request that there are approximately 41,000 gay men who might join the armed forces if “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” were repealed;

• Ended the practice of gay witch hunts in the armed forces; and

• Assisted in the investigation and publicity surrounding the hate crime murder of PFC Barry Winchell, after attempts by the Army to cover it up.

All of us at SLDN salute Dixon for his unwavering commitment to our mission, and wish him all the best in his new endeavors. And we look forward to working with Kathleen DeBold, our new interim executive director, to continue SLDN's important work to topple "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

- Steve Ralls

Gay Men's Chorus Takes On DA, DT

The San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus will be presenting a "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" inspired performance on Monday, April 30.

From the Bay Area Reporter:

The show also features the one-act "USS Metaphor," a parody of Gilbert & Sullivan's HMS Pinafore. . . .

Artistic director Kathleen McGuire, and members of the SFGMC production committee, wrote "USS Metaphor," which takes jabs at the U.S. military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. . . .

The chorus will be dressed in Navy whites and will perform dance routines that "surpass anything the chorus has done before. We're extremely proud of this program, from the angles of both technical excellence and social comment," [Teddy] Witherington added.

The show seems timely, given recent comments by Joint Chiefs of Staff General Peter Pace stating that gays are "immoral."

The show takes place Monday, April 30 at 7 p.m. Tickets range from $17-$80, and the chorus has increased the number of lower priced tickets for the show. SFGMC is also offering a 25 percent discount to current and former service men and women. For more information or for tickets, visit http://www.sfgmc.org or call (415) 865-2787.

- Steve Ralls

More 2008 Hopefuls Call for End to Sodomy Ban

We told you earlier this week that Democratic Senator and presidential candidate Barack Obama declared his support for repeal of Article 125, the military's ban on consensual sodomy. At the time, Obama joined Dennis Kucinich, Christopher Dodd, Joe Biden and Mike Gravel in calling for an end to the law.

Today, Gay City News reports that two other candidates in the '08 field have also indicated their support for repealing Article 125:

"In the wake of Gay City News' story last week reporting that four of the Democratic presidential hopefuls had gone on the record in opposition to the ban on sodomy in the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the party's current frontrunners, Illinois Senator Barack Obama, New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, and former North Carolina Senator John Edwards told this newspaper that they too believe the policy must change.

Seven of the eight contenders for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination have in the past two weeks stepped up in support of the privacy rights of gay military personnel."

The paper goes on to report that, "Jin Chon, a Clinton campaign spokesperson, wrote, also via e-mail, 'During Senator Clinton's recent remarks to the Human Rights Campaign, she agreed with Justice [Anthony] Kennedy, who wrote in Lawrence v. Texas, that 'times can blind us to certain truths and later generations can see that laws once thought necessary and proper in fact serve only to oppress. As the Constitution endures, persons in every generation can invoke its principles in their own search for greater freedom.' Therefore, Sen. Clinton believes that the Lawrence decision should be extended to the military as well.'

An April 18 e-mail from Kate Bedingfield, an Edwards spokeswoman, stated that the 2004 vice presidential nominee 'believes that the treatment of all service members should be based on their role in maintaining national security, not their sexual orientation. The Uniform Code of Military Justice should conform to the Supreme Court's decision in Lawrence v. Texas.'"

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, according to Gay City News, did not directly answer questions about the sodomy provision.

Among Republicans, only two candidates, Tom Tancredo and John McCain, responded to the sodomy question. Both indicated they support keeping the law as-is.

Full coverage from Gay City News is online here.

- Steve Ralls

Share Your Story

If you are a lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender service member currently in Iraq, or about to be deployed to Iraq, we want to hear from you!

SLDN is working with a national newsmagazine on a feature story profiling troops in the war zone, or troops preparing to deploy to the war zone. All stories will be told anonymously, and SLDN will work with the magazine's reporters and editors to carefully make sure that service members' identities are not revealed. This is an important opportunity, with a major newsmagazine, to tell the first-person stories of those fighting on the frontlines.

If you are interested in participating, please contact Steve Ralls, SLDN's director of communications, at sralls@sldn.org. All inquiries will be kept strictly confidential.

A Day of Silence

Today marks the 11th annual Day of Silence, a project of the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network to draw attention to LGBT right. Last year, more than 4,000 schools, and 450,000 students, participated in the observance. One student blogger noted that, today, "willing students will partake in a nationwide act of passive resistance by taking up a vow of silence for the entire school day. No answering questionings. No speaking out in class. None. Nada. Nilch. Nyet."

The Day of Silence resonates deeply for many in the U.S. military, who serve under federally sanctioned silence every day.

As the Arizona State University webzine noted this morning, "The U.S. military policy of 'Don't ask, don't tell' still hinders LGBTQ servicemen from living openly."

Today, as students observe the Day of Silence, many will remember, and honor, those who are serving in silence, too.

- Steve Ralls

Military Facing "Strategic Peril"

That's according to retired General Barry McCaffrey.

From Reuters:

"The disastrous state of the U.S. military is putting the country in strategic peril, a retired U.S. general said on the eve of a showdown between President George W. Bush and Democrats over paying for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. . . .

"McCaffrey, who returned last month from a trip to Iraq and Afghanistan, condemned Pentagon policies he said had left the U.S. Army too small, with its equipment in disarray and lacking a fallback position should a challenge come from somewhere like Iran, Syria or North Korea. . . .

"'It is my judgment we are in a position of strategic peril that is going to take us three to five years to get out of,' McCaffrey said."

One of those policies is surely "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." With 11,000 men and women dismissed (and counting), there's no denying that the loss of manpower under this law has cost our armed forces dearly.

Other high-ranking military officers are on the record supporting repeal. Will General McCaffrey follow?

- Steve Ralls

Obama: Drop Military Sodomy Ban

Illinois Senator (and 2008 Democratic presidential candidate) Barack Obama has gone on the record opposing Article 125, the military's ban on sodomy.

In response to a Gay City News article last week, Senator Obama's campaign now says he opposes the sodomy ban. The paper says it will publish an update to its original story, reflecting Obama's position, in its next issue, on April 19th. The Senator joins Christopher Dodd, Dennis Kucinich, Joe Biden and Mike Gravel in opposing the ban.

In an earlier post, SLDN staff attorney Aaron Tax pointed out that "One unforeseen consequence of the ban is that because of the threat of consensual sodomy prosecutions hanging over service members’ heads, when two service members are alleged to have engaged in consensual sodomy, there is an incentive for at least one to cooperate with the prosecution and claim the activity was nonconsensual. As a result, it is easier to convict at least one of the parties, resulting in service members, guilty of nothing more than engaging in consensual sodomy, being sent to prison."

In wake of the Supreme Court's 2003 decision in Lawrence v. Texas, the constitutionality of the military's ban has been in question. Senator Joe Biden's campaign has said that "the Supreme Court's clear and unmistakable view in Lawrence that the sex lives of consenting adults are a private matter... [and that should] apply to every American, both civilian and military."

Gay City News reports that, as of this morning, neither the Clinton nor Edwards campaigns have responded to questions regarding those candidates' positions.

- Steve Ralls

You’ve Paid for the Sickness, Now Pay for the Cure!

It’s Tax Day again. Time to give a little to Uncle Sam for all that he has given us: schools, roads, social security, health care, national security—and discrimination.

Yep, that’s right. Our hard-earned money is being used every day to discriminate against our own countrymen and women.

Every day, the U.S. government fires two people for being lesbian, gay or bisexual. They do it through the only law—local, state or national—that sanctions discrimination. This law is “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” and our tax-dollars pay for it—at a tune of at least $364 million since 1993.

“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” has been responsible for the discharge of more than 10,000 men and women from the Armed Services because it mandates the firing of lesbian, gay or bisexual service members. It’s a stupid law that wrecks lives, ruins careers, mocks America’s commitment to civil rights, wastes money and compromises our safety.

With this law, our government makes U.S. tax payers—you and me—to pay for their discriminatory practices. Many Americans have taxes withdrawn from every paycheck and don’t think about the moral implications of how their tax dollars are spent.

For the more than 900 service members who were discharged last year alone, the very taxes that were taken from their paychecks helped pay for their removal from service and the loss of that paycheck.

This is unforgivable!

Join me and by using your tax- refund money to fight their bigotry. Use it to support SLDN. Help us repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Help us take our fight to the Supreme Court. Help us provide free legal services to service members caught in its trap.

SLDN doesn’t get a penny from the government. Not one penny. The federal government won’t fund the fight against “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” But you can!

SLDN has responded to each of the more than 8,000 calls for assistance—many from service members anonymously serving on the frontlines in Iraq—only because faithful Americans contribute generously in support of our work. Join them—and me—with a gift of your own. Help us counter-balance the $364 million that the government has already spent.

By making a donation to SLDN, you could even reduce your tax burden next year! SLDN is a tax-exempt, 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and as such, all donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. What this could mean for you is that the more money you contribute, the fewer taxes you might have to pay—and the less money the government has to use against the more than 65,000 lesbian, gay and bisexual service members actively serving right now!

Just as the government needs a steady flow of income to keep our country going, SLDN needs a steady flow of income to keep us going. Put your money to especially good use this year by choosing to help every month by joining Roll Call, our monthly giving program.

With your support, SLDN will continue to offer free legal services to men and women in uniform . . . continue to work with Congress on repeal of this archaic and unfair law . . . and continue to speak out on behalf of service members silenced by “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

In addition to your financial support, there are other things you can do to help SLDN achieve our goal of an open and inclusive Armed Forces. You can:

- Join Frontlines, SLDN’s online action center, and invite your friends, family and colleagues to do the same.

- Fly both and American flag and a rainbow flag when observing national holidays like Memorial Day, Independence Day and Veterans Day.

- In observance of Memorial Day, send your local Veterans Service Organization a card in memory of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender service members who served and sacrificed for our country.

- In November, send your local Veterans Service Organization a Veterans Day card in honor of the more than 1,000,000 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender veterans who served in the U.S. Armed Forces.

- Write a letter to the editor of your newspaper telling them that qualified lesbian, gay and bisexual Americans are denied the opportunity to serve our country at a time when the military can’t meet basic recruitment goals.

Remember, no organization provides the kind of help that SLDN does—and we do it without the help of a single government dollar.

- Polly Stamatopoulos

Friendly Workplaces

Photo by J. Scott Applewhite -- Associated Press

Today's Washington Post has a fascinating article on the State Department's evolution from an agency, in the 1950's, that had fired employees for "moral weaknesses" to today's agency that embraces the diversity of all its employees, including its openly gay employees.

We knew that the State Department was pretty gay friendly, when just a few months ago, during the hearings on State Department's budget request for 2008, Congressman Gary Ackerman (D-NY) suggested to Secretary Condoleezza Rice that the State Department might want to hire some of the lesbian, gay, and bisexual linguists dismissed from the military under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." The response was positive. The Post later reported that

"Last night, Ackerman said in an interview that, after the hearing, he received a call from an aide to Rice who said that his suggestion was being taken seriously."

Today we learn just how friendly State is. Today's article features the story of Mark Dybul, the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator. He is the third openly gay ambassador at the State Department, and during his swearing-in ceremony last October, Secretary Rice acknowledged his partner, Jason Claire, and his mother-in-law, who was also present.

The Post rightly points out the contrast between the State Department's policy towards its lesbian, gay and bisexual employees and the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law banning open service in the military:

In stark contrast to the Pentagon policy of "don't ask, don't tell," the State Department acknowledges its gay employees, allows their partners to live in official residences overseas, helps them obtain foreign residence visas, and has sent out a cable to missions encouraging U.S. ambassadors to include diplomats' partners in social and official functions.

While the Pentagon fires at least two service members everyday solely because of their sexual orientation, openly gay civilian employees of the federal government (including civilian employees at the Department of Defense) are embraced and recognized for their service to our country.

Isn't it time we embraced and recognized all Americans for their service to our nation, regardless of their sexual orientation? Isn't it time we called on Congress to lift the ban?

- Rebecca Sawyer

How to Fix It

The Army is in trouble. Recruiting standards have slipped and re-enlistment bonuses are through the roof. Even West Point graduates are departing from the military in droves at the earliest opportunities. These troubling facts were highlighted this week in The Boston Globe and MSNBC.com, as well as on the cover of TIME.

First, let’s talk about West Point. Founded in 1802, its graduates rank amongst the most notable leaders in American history: US Presidents Grant and Eisenhower aren’t even the most famous. (Check out Wikipedia for an incredibly complete list.) People world-wide have depended on West Point graduates for more than two centuries.

That makes it a particularly cruel realization that 46% of West Point’s Class of 2001 exited the Army within 6 months of the earliest opportunity. 54% of the Class of 2000 had left active duty by this January. According to The Boston Globe, “[t]he figures mark the lowest retention rate of graduates after completion of their mandatory duty since at least 1977, with the exception of … three classes in the late 1980s who were encouraged to leave.” According to Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed (West Point ’71), this is because of the rapid “operational tempo” of overseas deployments over the past 6 years.

The Associated Press piece on MSNBC.com suggests that the stress of our operations in Iraq and Afghanistan are causing service members to not re-enlist. Re-enlistment bonuses are now almost 6 times higher than in 2003, costing the Army and the Marine Corps more than $1 billion in 2006.

The authors of the TIME article, entitled “Broken Down,” present a stark look at the current state of the US Army. The piece points out that the Army is understaffed, and that its soldiers are woefully overburdened. It highlights the issue of bonuses, exposes the habit of rushed promotions (“lieutenants can be pinned on as captains after 38 months”), explains that recruiters are only meeting goals because of lowered standards (“recruits from the least-skilled category have climbed eightfold … over the past two years”). There is even a graph illustrating critical shortfalls of midlevel officers.

“Broken Down” dedicates its final 725 words to suggesting “how to fix it.”

Unfortunately, TIME missed an easy way to get another 41,000 troops in the military: repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Additionally, with repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the military could stop firing 2 gay people every day.

It won’t fix the whole problem, but adding tens of thousands of qualified women and men can only help.

- Elizabeth Bolles

Soccer Moms and Article 125

Not that I want to think about any of the leading presidential candidates engaging in sodomy… It’s at least an issue they should be talking about.

Gay City News has reported that of the 8 Democratic presidential candidates who have all spoke out against “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” only four have spoken out against the sodomy ban, found in Article 125 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).

Why is the sodomy ban an important issue?

The military currently defines sodomy as any type of sex other than the missionary position. Service members are still – to this day - prosecuted under Article 125. In fact, it appears that more straight service members are prosecuted than gay service members.

The ban on sodomy is outdated and unnecessary.

One unforeseen consequence of the ban is that because of the threat of consensual sodomy prosecutions hanging over service members’ heads, when two service members are alleged to have engaged in consensual sodomy, there is an incentive for at least one to cooperate with the prosecution and claim the activity was nonconsensual. As a result, it is easier to convict at least one of the parties, resulting in service members, guilty of nothing more than engaging in consensual sodomy, being sent to prison.

In addition, prosecutors already have other tools at their disposal under the UCMJ when they need to hold people accountable for illicit activities – such as assault, rape, or taking advantage of a minor.

On first blush, it might seem like too much to expect any candidate to go out on a limb for the right of consenting service members to engage sodomy. As far as I know, soccer moms haven’t placed service-member-sodomy at the top of their list of burning campaign issues. Even so, the Gay City News article reported that Senator Joe Biden's campaign has said that "the Supreme Court's clear and unmistakable view in Lawrence that the sex lives of consenting adults are a private matter... [and that should] apply to every American, both civilian and military." Likewise, the Dodd campaign wrote that the senator believes "every American has the right to privacy and that should be extended to members of the military."

What consenting adults do in their own bedroom should be their own business. The Supreme Court recognized this right in Lawrence.

When framed more globally, as a privacy issue, as a civil rights issue, and as an issued of fundamental fairness, even soccer moms should be supportive of efforts to lift the sodomy ban.

- Aaron Tax

Extending Tours

This morning, in the New York Times, there was an article discussing the military’s plans to extend tours in Iraq to 15 months. Everyday, I wonder when it will be bad enough that the Army will say that I can come back to my job. Is it bad enough now? Soldiers are truly tired and frustrated with an undermanned military. They are worried about the affects on their families and overall unit morale. I don’t blame them.

Over the last six months, I have been working on my master’s thesis which is about how military recruiting has been affected by civil rights movements during wars. American history shows that the military has often opened its doors to minority groups during military personnel shortfalls and after there was action taken by either the executive or legislative branches of the government. African Americans (President Truman’s Executive Order) and women (Women’s Armed Services Integration Act) are the most notable examples. The military did not initiate these changes.

The military has a chance to change history. Frankly, I don’t need for General Pace to tell me he is sorry for calling me “immoral.” What I would prefer he do is sit down with his fellow service members and ask real questions. Is it more detrimental that we fill the foxholes with every able-bodied American or choose to discharge gays and not allow them to serve in critical specialties? It appears to me the answer is to expand the recruiting pool and not base eligibility to continue service on sexual orientation. Ending discrimination was the answer in the past and continues to be the answer now.

- Former Sergeant First Class Stacy Vasquez

Hurray for Sandy!

SLDN Honorary Board Member retired Navy Captain Sandy Geiselman, is featured on KD Friedman's guest blog on Our Chart. Captain Geiselman is one of seven retired officers to come out and demand an apology from General Peter Pace.

In the blog entry titled "Saluting Sandy," Friedman highlights Captain Geiselman's personal coming out experiences as it relates to the L Word. Go on over and check it out! And don't forget to leave your kudos for Captain Geiselman in the comments below.

- Rebecca Sawyer

SLDN Takes the Hill!

Photo by Judy Rolfe.

Lobby Day 2007 was a tremendous success!

Nearly 200 SLDN supporters converged on Capitol Hill last Monday to demand that Congress repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." That's nearly four times larger than our last Lobby Day! Our presence made a big difference in raising the visibility of the movement to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" on Capitol Hill.

Together, we visited all 535 Congressional offices. Our rally in front of the Capitol Monday afternoon brought together more than 250 people and an inspiring slate of speakers including Representatives Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Barney Frank (D-MA)! [Click here to check out the full list of our impressive rally speakers.] We waved signs, chanted, listened to the powerful stories of the veterans gracing our stage, and made a powerful statement that the American people want “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” to go.

Directly in response to our efforts, four more members of the House of Representatives have signed on as cosponsors of the Military Readiness Enhancement Act! Representatives Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and David Price (D-NC) both signed on as cosponsors during our Lobby Day, and Representatives Yvette Clarke (D-NY) and Albio Sires (D-NJ) signed on this week. Our bill to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” now has 119 bipartisan cosponsors, and we expect our support to continue to grow.

Last Monday SLDN supporters proudly wore t-shirts emblazoned with our message to Repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and Lift the Ban. Congressional staff and visitors alike took notice of our matching t-shirts as well as our presence in every single Congressional office. All day long passersby stopped us and asked questions about repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Conversations like these go a long way in building a majority of Americans in support of lifting the ban!

Congress is hearing us. Capitol Hill is now buzzing with the need to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." The momentum is growing!

Now it's your turn! Writing your Member of Congress only takes a few minutes and is an effective way to make your views heard. Click here to call on your Representative to support the Military Readiness Enhancement Act!

Thank you for your commitment to lifting the ban!

- Jill Raney

"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" en Espanol

Tonight at 10pm ET on your local Univision channel, former Army Sergeant Pepe Johnson will be on Aqui y Ahora, talking about his experiences under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

Be sure to tune in!

- Rebecca Sawyer

A Good Policy? Good Grief.

You may recall that we previously wondered, in light of remarks by the White House, if President Bush might be reconsidering his support for "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

Today, we got our answer.

The Associated Press reports that, during a press conference earlier today, President Bush was asked directly about his reaction to remarks by General Peter Pace, and whether he also believed that being lesbian or gay is immoral.

From AP:

[The President] declined to directly comment on the characterization by Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, of homosexuality as immoral. "Don't ask, don't tell is good policy," Bush said, citing the present military policy on gays.

Good policy?

Let's review:

- More than 11,000 men and women have been dismissed under the policy, including service members like Bleu Copas, an Arabic linguist who was booted from the Army after his command learned he is gay.

- The "good policy" has cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars . . . money that could be spent on body armor, healthcare for veterans, or any number of other things.

- The men and women of the military don't seem to think the ban is such a "good policy." Three out of four Iraq & Afghan vets say they are comfortable around gays and lesbians. 79% of the American public supports repeal.

Despite all that, President Bush thinks this is a "good policy?"

Good grief.

Join the discussion about the President's comments at Pam’s House Blend.

- Steve Ralls

L-Word.com Dinner Coverage

L-Word.com, a fan site dedicated to everything related to Showtime's The L Word, has great photos (including the one shown here), and a report, from SLDN's national dinner.

BetteAndTinaFAN writes that "Rose Rollins was the last to speak and after a very wonderful speech about Tasha’s storyline and how she was proud to be the one to portray it, she laughed and said that it was her first public speech and then she finished with the words, 'We want to stand with you to tell the stories to end ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’.'"

For complete coverage, visit www.l-word.com.

- Steve Ralls

By the Numbers

Detroit News columnist Deb Price has a great article this morning about Gary Gates and the Williams Institute at UCLA. Gates is the researcher who has found, among other things, that there are at least 65,000 lesbian and gay Americans on duty in the U.S. military. And, he has estimated, another 41,000 would enlist were it not for "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

Price reports this morning that Gates has another new estimate about gays in the military:

"Gates loves having given the nation a solid number to chew on as Congress gets ready to reconsider the Don't Ask, Don't Tell ban on gays serving openly in the military. But his pet number right now is 3,000.

That's the annual number of gay people who don't re-enlist because of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, and it includes the 600 who get booted out. With the military needing about 18,400 more people a year, Gates' 3,000 number means that just lifting the ban would get the Pentagon nearly one-sixth of the way to its target."

"The 65,000 number is the most extreme example of my making visible an invisible group," says Gates, stressing the difficulty of counting people ordered to remain silent. "But, in military circles," he adds, "the 3,000 figure gets more attention. We can say, 'Because of this single policy, you are losing 3,000 already trained and seasoned people who could really help you with your recruitment problem.' That's a big deal."

The research by Gates is immeasurably important in understanding the true impact of the military's gay ban. Because of his research, we have better insight into the real cost of anti-gay discrimination.

You can visit the Williams Institute online here.

- Steve Ralls