11/11: Veterans Day March to Honor LGBT Vets

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 1, 2005

Contact: Eddie Gutiérrez, Communications Director
Phone: (323) 217-8875 Email: eddie [at] eqca.org

VETERANS DAY MARCH TO HONOR LGBT VETERANS AND DENOUNCE DISCRIMINATORY “DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL” POLICY

Observance by Equality California, Partner Organizations in Oakland Coincides with the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force's 18th Annual Creating Change™ Conference

Download LGBT Veterans day flyer (.pdf)

San Francisco, CA - Equality California (EQCA), Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, Marriage Equality USA, partner organizations and hundreds of activists will honor LGBT servicemembers in a march to the U.S.S. Potomac on Friday, Nov. 11 in Oakland. The march and a memorial will pay respect to the sacrifices of LGBT people who served in the military and call attention to the U.S. government's discriminatory "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.

"This Veterans Day, Equality California will honor the men and women who have served, and continue to serve, in our armed forces but also strongly condemn the harmful and divisive 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy that keeps openly LGBT people out of the military and forces LGBT individuals to serve in silence,” said Executive Director Geoffrey Kors of Equality California. "This year, the California Legislature passed legislation sponsored by Equality California calling for repeal of this exclusionary and discriminatory policy."

Earlier this year, following votes in the California Legislature, California became the first state in the nation to ask the U.S. Congress and President Bush to repeal the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy by enacting House Resolution (HR) 1059, the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, authored by Representative Marty Meehan (D- Massachusetts). Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 11, authored by Senator Christine Kehoe (D-San Diego) and sponsored by Equality California, is now official state policy, making California the first state legislature to take a stand against this discriminatory policy.

"On this day, we will honor all veterans, especially the more than 1 million lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender veterans who served their country in spite of the discrimination they faced," said Director Jim Maloney of the Military Education Initiative (MEI). "Their voices must now speak for the over 65,000 active duty LGBT servicemembers who still must serve in silence."

With 26 bases statewide, California is home to approximately 137,000 gay and lesbian veterans currently living in California — the most of any other state.

"Equal access to marriage would have a significant effect on these servicemembers and veterans families," said Davina Kotulski, Executive Director of Marriage Equality USA. "Of the 1,138 federal rights that come with marriage, 93 provisions are related to veterans' benefits and 275 provisions have to do with federal civilian and military service benefits. Furthermore, it is a national disgrace that honorable LGBT servicemembers and vets who put their lives on the line to serve their country cannot."

"This march and rally is a reminder of our own Great War to eliminate the discriminatory and damaging policy," said Commander Zoe Dunning of the National Reserve, one of the few servicemembers who has successfully challenged the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. "Until we have freedom within our own ranks, we can never effectively be an advocate for freedom throughout the world, said Dunning, who has been in uniform for more than 12 years since coming out in 1993.

Last year, Equality California and Assemblymember John Laird (D-Santa Cruz) successfully passed legislation that allows gay and lesbian servicemembers to serve openly in California’s Militia.

EVENT HIGHLIGHTS

Wednesday, November 9 through Sunday, November 13, 2005
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force’s 18th Annual Creating Change™ Conference
Oakland Marriott City Center register online or for up to date conference and workshop information.
Special events that are free and open to the public include:

Wednesday, November 9, 3 p.m.
“The Marriage Equality Tipping Point.”
Malcolm Gladwell, New Yorker staff writer and author of The Tipping Point: How Little Things Make a Big Difference and Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking speaks on the subject of marriage equality, social change and our movement for full equality under the law.

Friday, November 11, Noon to 1 p.m.
Honor our LGBT Veterans and Speak Out against the discriminatory “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” military policy, which has forced LGBT citizens to serve our nation in silence. March from the Oakland Marriott at noon to the “Floating White House”: the U.S.S. Potomac moored at the Port of Oakland Building in Jack London Square for a memorial with LGBT veterans and civil rights leaders working to end the military’s discriminatory ban at 12:20 p.m.

The Memorial will be held in front of the U.S.S. Potomac at 12:20 p.m. and will include a moment of silence; color guard presentation by Alexander Hamilton Post; Sharra Greer, Esq. Director of Law and Policy, Servicemembers Legal Defense Network; Jim Maloney, Military Education Initiative; Jeff Petrie, Naval Academy Alumni; Zoe Dunning, Commander Navy Reserve; Assemblymember Mark Leno; Tina Stidman, Sacramento Valley Veterans; and will conclude with Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirits Drum Circle.

Founded in 1998, Equality California is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, grassroots-based, statewide advocacy organization whose mission is to ensure the dignity, safety, equality and civil rights of all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Californians. Equality California is one of the largest and fastest-growing statewide LGBT organizations in the country. We can be contacted through our website at http://www.eqca.org.

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