The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) will hold a reception/fund-raiser on Sept. 23 at Pritzker Military Library, 610 N. Fairbanks, at 6 p.m. The event will benefit the organization’s efforts to repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the military’s ban on lesbian, gay and bisexual personnel.
The reception will feature keynote speaker Jeff Howe. Howe, a former artillery specialist who served two tours of duty in Iraq, was recently discharged under the policy when an online profile revealing his sexual orientation was discovered. Howe has since become the subject of media coverage across the nation. Howe’s perspective and situation were featured in the Aug. 17 issue of Windy City Times.
Additionally, SLDN will honor 44th Ward Ald. Tom Tunney for his work in introducing the Chicago City Council resolution that urges for the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’
Tickets are available at www.sldn.org/templates/events/index.html.
The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) renewed calls for repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ in light of a report in USA Today in which experts predict a decline in the quality of soldiers in the U.S. Army and the ability of recruiters to find suitable replacements for soldiers predicted to leave the service. In a statement, SLDN executive director C. Dixon Osburn said that “[q]ualification, and not orientation, should always be paramount in our nation’s fighting forces.”