Servicemembers Legal Defense Network Reports Record # Requests for Assistance in 2004

January 11, 2005 - 05:03pm [National] Contact: Steve Ralls
January 11, 2005 (202) 328-3244, ext. 116 / sralls [at] sldn.org <mailto:sralls [at] sldn.org >

Servicemembers Legal Defense Network Reports Record 1025 Requests for Assistance During 2004

January 11th Marks 5th Anniversary of Great Britain’s Decision to End Gay Ban

Washington, DC – Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) announced today that it received a record 1025 requests for assistance in 2004, up from 991 similar requests in 2003. SLDN provides free, confidential legal counsel to service members impacted by the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” ban on lesbian, gay and bisexual personnel.

“Service members continue to report to SLDN that they face a hostile military environment rife with anti-gay harassment and discrimination,” said SLDN Executive Director C. Dixon Osburn. “Even as their talents are more urgently needed than ever before, lesbian and gay service members face investigation, harassment and discharge. Their courageous service to our country, and not their sexual orientation, should be what matters.”

SLDN attorneys fought a successful battle in 2004 to save the retirement benefits of a 22-year Air Force war veteran who was ‘outed’ by two civilian women. Air Force Master Sergeant David Cooper was a veteran of the 1992 Persian Gulf War who faced losing his entire retirement benefits package. “Without SLDN’s help,” Cooper said, “everything I worked hard to achieve would have been stolen from me.”

SLDN attorneys also saved the careers of two service members who faced ‘outing’ by their family members and assisted a Jewish Naval Chaplain who faced investigation and discharge after being outed by a friend’s husband.

In May, SLDN joined with PlanetOut and Gay.com to highlight an alarming increase in lesbian and gay military personnel outed through their online profiles. Service member online ‘outings’ occurred at a rate of nearly one per month in early 2004.

SLDN attorneys anticipate a 10% increase in requests for assistance during 2005, resulting from increased awareness of SLDN through its pending litigation and work in Congress.

“The United States should follow the example of Great Britain and all of our allies who have lifted their ban on gays in the military,” Osburn said. “Today marks the fifth anniversary of Great Britain’s decision to lift its ban. Five years later, our closest military ally has reported no negative consequences as a result of doing so.”

Service members impacted by “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” can receive free, confidential legal counsel from SLDN by calling (202) 328-3244 or emailing legal [at] sldn.org <mailto:legal [at] sldn.org >.

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Servicemembers Legal Defense Network is a national, non-profit legal services, watchdog and policy organization dedicated to ending discrimination against and harassment of military personnel affected by ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ and related forms of intolerance. For more information, visit http://www.sldn.org <http://www.sldn.org >.