OutServe-SLDN

OutServe-SLDN

File:OutServe-SLDN Logo.png
Formation	July 26, 2010
Location	Worldwide
Membership	>5,000
Executive director (currently vacant)	Allyson Robinson (Oct 2012-Jul 2013) Josh Seefried (co-director 2010-2012) Ty Walrod (co-director 2010-2012)
Website	www.OutServe-SLDN.org www.outservemag.com www.OutServe.org (former website)

OutServe-SLDN is a network of LGBT actively serving military personnel, which launched publicly on July 26, 2010 as OutServe, and is one of the largest LGBT employee resource groups in the world. At its founding it was co-directed by a 2009 graduate of the US Air Force Academy, Josh Seefried (formerly known as JD Smith to protect his identity) and Ty Walrod. There are over 5,000 members and 50 chapters worldwide.

On July 2, 2012, OutServe announced that it would merge with Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, an organization that advocates on behalf of and provides legal services to gay and lesbian military personnel and veterans, in October 2012. On October 25, 2012, Allyson Robinson was the first Executive Director of OutServe-SLDN following the merger of those two organizations. She was the first transgender person to ever lead a national LGBT rights organization that does not have an explicit transgender focus.

As part of an extensive reorganization and a review of the organization's mission and finances, which included some public airing of internal dissension and inability to fund its current operations, Josh Seefried resigned from the Board on July 8 Less than nine months after hiring Robinson, OutServe-SLDN's board announced it was bankrupt and had to close its Washington D.C. headquarters; on the same day, Robinson announced that her resignation as executive director would take effect the following day, July 12, 2013. The board announced that for at least a year it plans to focus on the financial crisis and the payment of debts, followed by an eventual return to providing "advocacy, development, or other support."

Leadership

File:OutServe logo.png

Former OutServe logo prior to 2012 design change.

Allyson Robinson was the first Executive Director of OutServe-SLDN, following the merger of those two organizations. She was the first transgender person to ever lead a national LGBT rights organization that does not have an explicit transgender focus. U.S. Army veteran Jonathan Hopkins is the main spokesman, and was mentioned by President Barack Obama at the signing ceremony for the legislation authorizing repeal of Don't ask, don't tell (DADT). Katherine Miller, a former West Point cadet who resigned in protest of the DADT policy, is also a spokesperson and board member. United States Military Academy alumna, Brenda Sue Fulton, also the chair of Knights Out, is the communications director.

Logo of OutServe (2012)

There are leaders for each of the 55+ chapters worldwide, whose identities, as well as those of all members, were kept anonymous under DADT. With the expiration of DADT on September 20, 2011, JD Smith revealed his true identity. One hundred and one OutServe members in total came out publicly with the end of DADT.

Membership

As of April 2011, OutServe was divided into 42 regional chapters, with a total membership of over 5,000 members. It included personnel from the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines and Coast Guard, both commissioned officers and enlisted. Due to privacy concerns, OutServe's Membership was closely guarded and monitored. Each chapter has an internally selected leader. Several chapters have hosted meetings and social gatherings aimed at improving the morale and quality of life of the members. The structure of OutServe was inspired by the British military's Proud2Serve organization.

General

In June 2010, OutServe sent a letter criticizing the Comprehensive Review Working Group's initial decision to exclude gay and lesbian military personnel from the DADT review process.

On July 26, 2010, OutServe was falsely accused of claiming to be the first organization to directly represent active-duty service members, specifically. Walrod said that OutServe was not interested in claiming credit for the work of other organizations and only aimed to give a voice to personnel silenced by the DADT policy.

At the end of August 2011, the DOD approved the distribution of OutServe Magazine at Army and Air Force base exchanges beginning with the September 20 issue, coinciding with the end of DADT.

OutServe Magazine

Main article: OutServe Magazine

OutServe Magazine is a bi-monthly periodical digital and print publication of OutServe, a non-profit, non-governmental organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender service members in the United States Armed Forces. It was first published in March 2011, while OutServe was still operating clandestinely prior to the repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy that banned open gays from service. The publication is distributed free of charge and is available for downloading and redistribution.

SLDN

File:DADT rally Lady Gaga.jpg

Lady Gaga addresses the crowd at Servicemembers Legal Defense Network DADT "4the14K" rally in Portland, Maine, on September 20, 2010.

Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) was founded as a non-profit legal services, watchdog, and policy organization founded in the United States in 1993. It was dedicated to ending discrimination and harassment of gay and lesbian U.S. military personnel negatively affected by the "Don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) policy which was established that same year. Before being merged into OutServe-SLDN, SLDN documented over 700 violations in the policy's first two years of operation. As of January, 2011, it provided legal aid to more than 10,000 service members.

SLDN was criticized by parts of the transsexual and intersex communities for excluding them from "Freedom to Serve" events and activism during the DADT debate. Others criticized the organization for presenting the "Barry Winchell Courage Award", named for Barry Winchell, an Army private who was murdered after it was discovered that he was dating transsexual activist and actress Calpernia Addams. Winchell's sexual orientation is disputed.

Lawsuits

In June 2008, the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit ruled against SLDN in Cook v. Gates, in which SLDN's twelve clients sought reinstatement in the military after being discharged under DADT.

On October 27, 2011, SLDN sued the Department of Defense, challenging Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and two statutes that detail military benefits. In a November 21 filing, SLDN argued:

Any claim that DOMA, as applied to military spousal benefits, survives rational basis review is strained because paying unequal benefits to service members runs directly counter to the military values of uniformity, fairness and unit cohesion. While there was once a debate as to whether gay and lesbian service members should be allowed to serve openly in the armed forces -- just as there were similar debates regarding integrating the military by race and then by gender -- there never has been any debate as to whether similarly situated service members who do the same work deserve the same benefits.

The case, McLaughlin v. Panetta, was put on hold at the request of both sides in anticipation of the outcome of two other First Circuit cases that were being appealed, Gill v. Office of Personnel Management and Massachusetts v. United States Department of Health and Human Services. On February 17, 2012, the DOJ announced it could not defend the constitutionality of the statutes challenged in the case. The Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group (BLAG) of the U.S. House of Representatives sought to undertake the defense, and as of May 2012, the parties were disputing BLAG's right to intervene.

See also

• USNA Out
• Servicemembers Legal Defense Network
• Servicemembers United
• OutServe Magazine
• The American Military Partner Association

External links

• OutServe official website
• O on Twitter
• O on Facebook