The Gayest Place on Earth

Last week, Kathi Westcott and I headed down to Orlando to staff the SLDN booth at Gay Days at Disney!

In between having breakfast with Pluto and hanging out with Tigger in the Magic Kingdom, we spent three full days talking to thousands of people about “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and SLDN’s efforts to repeal the law. We spoke with current and former service members who’ve served in Iraq and Afghanistan, some who intend to serve until retirement and others who were discharged after only a few months simply because they are gay. We spoke to advocates and supporters from all over the country, but were especially touched by the stories from native Floridians, who find living in the Sunshine State particularly difficult. Florida has some of the most anti-gay laws in the US – impacting lesbian and gay families and often leaving children without the legal protections of state-recognized two-parent households. These folks were happy to sign petitions asking Congress to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” because they know what it’s like to be treated as second-class citizens. Kathi and I also ran into a couple of people who were skeptical of repeal and, for the most part, were successful in educating them about how DADT actually works and what repeal would mean to all of those who serve.

We collected well over 1,000 signatures and spread the word not only about repeal, but also about our legal services work. To-date, SLDN has answered more than 8,300 calls for assistance and we continue to be here every day to assist the brave men and women who volunteer to serve our country. These lesbian, gay and bisexual service members deserve our respect and our gratitude, yet they still continue to be fired at a rate of 2 per day, simply because of their sexual orientation.

After wrapping up our duties at the expo booth, Kathi and I managed to have a little fun too. We hung out with Pooh, Tigger and the rest of the Disney family while enjoying the thrills of Space Mountain, the dizzying spinning tea cups, endless choruses of “It’s A Small World After All….” and yes, we even waited on line in the blistering heat for the flying Dumbo ride!

-Emily Hecht

Pride in Kansas City

This past weekend, I returned to my hometown of Kansas City, Missouri to represent SLDN at the KC Pride festival. Joined by my partner, Karen Hermann and my colleague, Victor Maldonado, we had no idea how busy we would be – the morning’s newspaper was never pulled out of the bag and our camera caught only a few moments of our two days at Pride.

Our time was instead spent talking with over a thousand people from Kansas City and towns near and far in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Iowa. They were eager to sign our petition to Congress calling for the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Most of them knew about DADT, but some did not understand its impact. Too many, unfortunately, did.

We heard dozens of stories from individuals who had lost their chance to serve their country because of the ban on gays in the military. Others had friends or loved ones who had experienced the sting of discrimination mandated by this law. One woman told us about a friend who was kicked out after someone found letters from her partner in her locker. One couple stopped by to show support for their gay son, who was stationed abroad. We heard stories of relationships that had broken under the strain of silence. We met a woman who wanted so badly to serve her country that to stay in the service, she married and shrouded herself in dishonesty and depression.

Others were afraid to talk to us. Standing back looking at our booth, their fear and apprehension was evident. Victor or I were able to approach them and hand them wallet cards with information about their rights and how to reach SLDN if they ever needed help. Many current service members did not know about SLDN and were grateful to know that if they ever needed a lifeline, SLDN would be there.

We appreciated the help of our volunteers, but even with their help, the long lines of people, hungry for information and eager to enlist in the battle against DADT, kept us on our feet and talking until our throats were sore. Despite the heat, despite our soreness, we were deeply humbled by the nearly 1,000 people who signed SLDN’s petition and we were honored to be able to speak to so many people who served our nation proudly both before and after DADT.

-Susan Labombard

Pride Kick-off

Pride season is upon us!

What a concept, Pride. Every year we come together with as a community and along with our allies, celebrate the LBGT community. These festivals, parades, and parties are political, social, business-oriented, family-oriented -- there's something for everyone. I love Pride, and am excited to be flying to Long Beach this weekend to kick off SLDN's summer-long campaign, engaging folks in our work to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

That Pride is an opportunity for people from all walks of life come together makes these events fantastic opportunity for education and activism around repealing the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell” law. SLDN is hosting booths at events all over the country. We need your help to expand our reach to more communities!

Through our Pride Captain's program you can take the lead in coordinating an SLDN booth at a Pride festival in your town. It's a terrific chance to participate in Pride and talk to people about lifting the ban, and it goes a long way towards building our movement.

Some festival-goers are currently serving in the military. SLDN's lawyers tell me that service members can go to Pride -- it's called "associational" behavior and is not by itself a violation of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" -- but attendance at LGBT events may raise suspicions. We strongly encourage service members NOT to wear any part of their uniform, including dog tags, at any Pride event.

Connecting with service members and expanding awareness of SLDN's free legal services are integral goals of our presence at Pride festivals. We want everyone to have a happy and safe Pride experience!

Advocacy to end this awful law is also core to SLDN's outreach at Pride. Our booths get those who are already interested more involved in the movement. They also help educate and engage those folks who aren't yet aware of the travesty called "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

Please help us make Pride 2008 a landmark year for the movement to lift the ban! I encourage you to learn more and apply to be a Pride Captain. Check out the list so far of cities where SLDN is hosting booths, and sign up to volunteer at one in your area!

Pride is terrific fun and an unparalleled opportunity to get more people engaged in our fight to end "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Join us this summer!

-Jill Raney

Spirit of Stonewall

This past Sunday I had the privilege to speak about my experience with Don't Ask Don't Tell at San Diego's 'Spirit of Stonewall Community Celebration' named after the famed 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York's Greenwich Village, which is considered to be the commencement of the contemporary Lesbian and Gay liberation movement.

With music from Peech and Noah Sugarman, the event featured speakers that hit a broad range of topics affecting the LGBT community today. From CA law and gay marriage, to the elderly, the military, to a moving speech from 16 year old Missy Luber on the challenges of LGBT high school youth.

Several Stonewall awards were presented including the Stonewall Service award to Chief William M. Lansdowne and the San Diego Police Department for its proactive stand against hate crimes, and Champions of Pride Robert A. Lehman & Thomas D. Felkner who co-founded Stonewall Citizens' Patrol in an organized response to the escalating crimes that occurred in the past year against the LGBT community.

Set against the historic Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park coupled with the beautiful July weather, the event brought renewed commitment to the LGBT equal rights movement and an opportunity to stand together and celebrate a shared vision of freedom and equality.

Stay classy San Diego. :)
-Jason Knight

Chicago Honors LGBT Veterans

If you are in the Chicago area tomorrow afternoon and want to show your support for a repeal of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, stop by Daley Plaza between 12 noon and 1 p.m. to hear from Rear Admiral Alan M. Steinman, MD USPHS/USCG (Ret.), one of the country's highest ranking, openly gay military officers. He will be joined by Tammy Duckworth, Director of Veteran’s Affairs for the State of Illinois and former Iraq War veteran.

To find out more about “With Justice for All,” Chicago’s salute to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender veterans and service members, click here.

-Victor Maldonado

Help Wanted

This past weekend, I went up to Boston Pride to spread the world about SLDN.

I also got to meet a friendly recruiter from the Armed Forces Recruiting Station across the street from the Boston Commons. I was walking by and lo and behold – what do I see in the window? A large advertisement saying the Army needs Arabic translators! That’s funny, I thought, because we at SLDN have numerous clients who happen to be Arabic translators. They would like to serve. They would like to translate Arabic! But alas, they cannot, because they are openly gay.

A recruiter came out of the office while I was trying to photograph the sign and he asked, “Can I help you?” I was caught a little off guard – so I told him that I worked for a non-profit that assisted service members affected by DADT, and that we have clients who are translators who have been kicked out of the Army simply because they are gay. I told him that I thought it was kind of funny that here they were, advertising, that they needed more translators. He didn’t really say anything. He just walked back inside. He didn’t even ask me if I wanted to enlist!

Well – there’s an easy fix to the quandary of a) the Army needs translators but won’t let you translate if you’re openly gay and b) many gay translators are willing and ready to serve: lift the ban!

- Aaron Tax