Tour to Repeal "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" comes to Trenton
Human Rights Campaign, Servicemembers United Bring National Tour to Repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” to Trenton
Gay, lesbian, and straight service members highlight “Voices of Honor: A Generation Under ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’”
TRENTON – The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization, in partnership with Servicemembers United, the nation's largest organization of gay and lesbian troops and veterans and their straight allies, will visit Trenton, NJ, on July 30 as part of “Voices of Honor: A Generation Under ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’” The national tour highlights the discriminatory law that hurts military readiness and national security while putting American soldiers fighting overseas at risk. The Trenton visit will include a public town hall discussion in the evening and a documentary screening in Boonton, NJ the day before. To learn more, visit:
www.hrc.org/VoicesOfHonor.
After more than 15 years, many former congressional and senior military leaders who were involved in the construction and implementation of “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” have recently called for the law to be reviewed or repealed, including former Joint Chiefs Chairmen Gen. John Shalikashvili and Gen. Colin Powell, and former Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. Sam Nunn (D-GA). The Military Readiness Enhancement Act (H.R. 1283), which would repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” was introduced in the U.S. House earlier this year.
Passed in 1993, the “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” law allows gay, lesbian and bisexual service personnel to serve in the armed forces as long as their sexual orientation is not publicly disclosed or discovered. As of 2008, more than 13,000 men and women have been fired from the military because of their sexual orientation, including more than 60 Arabic linguists and nearly 800 other service members in critical occupational fields.
TOWN HALL DETAILS:
WHAT: Public town hall discussion on the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”
WHEN: July 30, 2009 at 5:00 p.m. EST
WHERE: Mill Hill Playhouse of the Passage Theater Company, 205 East Front St., Trenton, NJ 08605
WHO: Town hall to feature remarks from:
-- Jarrod Chlapowski, a former U.S. Army Korean linguist who opted to not re-enlist because of DADT and is a public policy advocate at the Human Rights Campaign;
-- Alex Nicholson, a former U.S. Army Human Intelligence Collector discharged under DADT and current executive director of Servicemembers United;
-- Jennifer Hogg, a New York National Guard veteran, New Jersey native, and associate director of Service Women’s Action Network;
-- Stephen Vossler, a straight former Korean linguist who served with numerous gay service members such as Chlapowski
DOCUMENTARY DETAILS:
WHAT: Screening of “Ask Not,” a PBS documentary on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”
WHEN: July 29, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. EST
WHERE: Switch Nightclub, Bar, and Restaurant, 202 Myrtle Ave., Boonton, NJ 07005
WHO: Q&A session following the movie featuring film principles Alex Nicholson and Jarrod Chlapowski
The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.
