Aubrey Sarvis On DADT Repeal

Servicemembers Legal Defense Network head Aubrey Sarvis gives the president huge credit for the repeal of DADT, but warns of the day when one of our enemies wins back the Oval Office.

"Most of the candidates say they would repeal the repeal. A new president could force the military to change the regulations, and we would go back to a post-Don't Ask, Don't Tell (when gays and lesbian were outright banned from the armed services.)"

Which is precisely why the Log Cabin Republicans are continuing to pursue their court case.

TONIGHT: Debut Of HBO's DADT Film

This morning I attended a press screening of the above title at HBO's midtown headquarters. Servicemembers Legal Defense Network head Aubrey Sarvis and DADT activists Major Mike Almy and Colonel Victor Fehrenbach joined the filmmakers for a Q&A session after the film, which debuts tonight at midnight. Highly recommended! DADT officially ends tomorrow.

HomoQuotable - Aubrey Sarvis

"Captain Owen Honors was acting more like the president of a frat house rather than the executive officer of the U.S.S. Enterprise. We call upon the Navy to investigate this matter thoroughly. It is very important that the most senior leadership make it absolutely clear that this kind of bad behavior and poor judgment is not only unacceptable, but that there is no place in the Navy for those who engage in this sort of frat house behavior in the workplace." - Aubrey Sarvis, executive director for Servicemembers Legal Defense Network.

SLDN Files DADT Suit

As further pressure on the members of the lame duck Senate, Servicemembers Legal Defense Network today filed a federal lawsuit demanding the reinstatement of three veterans discharged under DADT.

The lawsuit filed in federal district court in San Francisco also seeks to have the ban on openly gay troops declared unconstitutional and therefore unenforceable for any service members. "I don't feel like I'm going up against the military, I really don't. I just feel like this is a necessary step for doing away with this policy," said former Air Force Staff Sergeant Anthony Loverde. "I believe the military, the majority of troops I've served with and those who have been studied to death are with us."

SLDN's Aubrey Sarvis: "This filing is a notice to the Senate and to the U.S. government that if the Senate fails to act in the lame duck session, we are prepared to litigate this aggressively."

Mission Incomplete: Pro-DADT Repeal Groups To Rally On Capitol Hill This Friday

A large coalition of pro-DADT repeal groups are joining the "Mission: Incomplete" rally sponsored by SLDN this Friday at noon on Capitol Hill. SLDN's Aubrey Sarvis, via press release:

“We call upon the Senate and the President to remain in session and in Washington until the National Defense Authorization Act is passed – which includes the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask.’ The Senate is scheduled to break for holiday vacation; we can’t let them leave. We must show our rage for repeal and insist the Senate stay in Washington until they have finished the job. We implore all who support repeal to join us outside the Senate this Friday. As Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said, ‘If not now, when?’

“The lame-duck vote on repeal was set up and dictated by some of the same Senators – like John McCain and Mitch McConnell -- who are now delaying to kill the bill. They wanted the Pentagon report – now they have it. They wanted hearings – now they’re done. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has said he is determined to pass the defense bill with repeal. Senators must not be allowed to hide any longer behind process, procedure, and tax cuts for the wealthy, while the discrimination continues. We’ve lost 14,000 troops to this antiquated law, and by God, we must not lose another on our watch.

More information on the rally. The groups taking part are below.

Log Cabin Republicans Ask John McCain To Change His Mind On DADT

Chris Matthews calls out LCR head R. Clark Cooper for being a gay Republican, what with their pesky anti-gay platform. Cooper: "Something, something, work from the inside, something something."

HomoQuotable - Aubrey Sarvis

"A number of service members have contacted SLDN to seek guidance on surveys concerning the repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell -- the discriminatory law barring gay and lesbian service members from serving with integrity. At this time SLDN cannot recommend that lesbian, gay, or bisexual service members participate in any survey being administered by the Department of Defense, the Pentagon Working Group, or any third-party contractors.

"While the surveys are apparently designed to protect the individual's privacy, there is no guarantee of privacy and DOD has not agreed to provide immunity to service members whose privacy may be inadvertently violated or who inadvertently outs himself or herself. If a service member still wishes to participate, he or she should only do so in a manner that does not reveal sexual orientation." - Servicemembers Legal Defense Network executive director Aubrey Sarvis.

HomoQuotable - Aubrey Sarvis

"In his State of the Union message President Obama said repealing 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' was the right thing to do. But Friday evening President Obama did the wrong thing, and in doing so he and Secretary Gates delivered a devastating blow to getting repeal done this year. Their joint political decision showed a lack of respect for our LGBT service members who are on the frontlines every day risking their lives for our safety.

"As a result of the Commander in Chief's decision to defer to Secretary Gates' wishes and timeline, gay service members will continue to be treated as second class citizens, and any sense of fairness may well have been delayed for yet another year, perhaps for another decade. The President did not sound like a fierce repeal advocate. He sounded like someone who wants to have it both ways. And that is not leadership. That is politics as usual." - Servicemembers Legal Defense Network head Aubrey Sarvis, who also says he will take part in tomorrow's demonstration in front of the White House.

Is the DOD Blocking DADT Repeal?

Servicemembers Legal Defense Network executive director Aubrey Sarvis has penned a open letter (PDF) to the president demanding that he stand by his State of the Union pledge to repeal DADT. Sarvis told the Advocate this weekend that Capitol Hill staffers are reporting that the Pentagon has asked Congress to put off a vote until their repeal implementation study can be conpleted.

Many were angered after the Department of Justice recently filed a brief defending the constitutionality of DADT. This is the time for your Administration to set the record straight. By including repeal in the Administration’s defense budget you will be sending a clear message to Congress and the American people that patriotic gay and lesbian service members – currently fighting and dying for our country in two wars ‐‐ are treated as equals to all their comrades‐in‐arms. I am very disturbed by multiple reports from Capitol Hill that your Congressional liaison team is urging some Members of Congress to avoid a vote on repeal this year. The upcoming House and Senate votes will be close, and very frankly, Mr. President, we need your help now. As a veteran, and on behalf of thousands of men and women who have served and want to serve their country openly, I ask you today to stand by your encouraging words to the American people in your State of The Union address: “This year, I will work with Congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are. It's the right thing to do.”

HomoQuotable - Aubrey Sarvis

"A story in Sunday's Boston Globe asserts that the Obama Administration is telling the Pentagon and gay rights activists that "it will have to study the implications for national security and enlist more support in Congress" before trying to overturn "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." The sources cited for this information are "people involved in the discussions" -- in a word, that well known and ever useful reporter's friend 'anonymous.' [snip]

"Let's be clear: a commission or a study group is not about change. That's business as usual. We do not need another report to tell us what we already know and what earlier reports have long since concluded: the sexual orientation of a service member is irrelevant. What is relevant is how well he or she does the job.

"So let's just skip another study. Let the new Administration display the courage of its convictions instead. Let them match their campaign promises with timely action. We'll continue to hold the President's feet to the fire but not in it -- yet. I'm optimistic that Congress and the Administration, without resorting to yet another study, can throw out the single remaining law that permits, indeed demands the firing of someone because of his or her sexual orientation. Despite the fears of some, sexual orientation is not contagious nor is it a choice. Tinky Winky the Teletubby never made anyone gay -- or straight, for that matter. As mounting evidence suggests, we're born that way.

"In this country, we don't fire people because of the genes they're born with. We've come to understand that to protect the rights of the minority is to protect the rights of the majority as well. We're all in this together, folks. Put those outdated fears aside and just do it. Yes, you can. Yes, we can." - Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, writing for the Huffington Post.