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Servicemembers Legal Defense Network Marches On, Technologically

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In 1994, the company I was running, ApolloMedia, purchased the electronic rights to “Conduct Unbecoming,” the journalistic masterpiece written by the late Randy Shilts that provided the most comprehensive to date overview of gays and lesbians serving in the U.S. military.

Conduct Unbecoming CD-ROM CoverReleased in 1995, rich with photographs, video and complementary documents and articles, the CD-ROM contained ePost, the first ever technological tool enabling users to find, and communicate directly with, their elected representatives (through email for the few who had it back then, or by fax, simply by typing in your zip code). Rolling Stone magazine called Conduct Unbecoming “a political statement” and “an evolutionary CD-ROM.”

In the course of the production, we met and interviewed a small but dedicated organization that had formed a couple of years earlier, founded by attorneys Michelle Benecke and Dixon Osburn. In a very short time they had already become an invaluable resource for servicemembers becoming dangerously ensnared in the newly implemented, vague, unconstitutional “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy, providing, in addition to life-saving information, free, confidential, high quality legal service.

The language of the policy, which among many insidious things, failed to distinguish between content and conduct. Saying you were gay was indistinguishable from being gay, and being gay was indistinguishable from engaging in same sex conduct. Even if you were a celibate, virgin who had never been touched.  The very CD-ROM we were producing, if caught in the possession of a servicemember, would be more than enough to trigger an investigation and lead to a discharge under the DADT policy. (The Navy attempted to block release of the CD-ROM itself.)

Stretched for resources as word of their existence spread, a mechanism was needed to enable them to communicate as much information as possible to as many servicemembers possible. They also needed to communicate with the media, who had become reliant on them to provide accurate information as to what was happening under the policy.

And so in 1995, we built them a website, establishing them as among the first of pioneering non-profit organizations to turn to the Internet as more than simply a static, electronic marketing brochure. The information, advice and warnings on the website provided invaluable assistance to those finding the vague tenets of the policy almost impossible to navigate.

The organization — Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) — proved to be a lifeline to countless servicemembers. Having responded to over 11,000 requests for assistance to date, SLDN was a powerful and primary player in the repeal of DADT, and remains a critical resource in a post-DADT military environment, still worthy of support.

Michelle Benecke and Dixon Osburn

Michelle Benecke and Disxon Osburn, Co-Executive Directors, Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, 1994

On January 12, 2012, SLDN launched a new online toolkit to assist veterans discharged under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) or the prior regulations prohibiting gay and lesbian service in the military seeking changes to their discharge paperwork.

“Since repeal, word has spread rapidly about this opportunity, and our attorneys have experienced a surge in calls from veterans seeking our services. This toolkit will streamline the process for them and help us get results for them more quickly. We urge anyone interested in this assistance to contact our office and let us help,” said SLDN Legal Director David McKean in a SLDN press release.

According to SLDN Executive Director Aubrey Sarvis, more than 100 gay and lesbian veterans who were discharged under DADT have already sought to have their discharge paperwork changed or upgraded.

“Sometimes it’s for reasons of personal pride and setting the record straight about honorable service to our country. But often, there’s also a very practical reason, like urgently needed VA medical benefits or issues of employment. Employers routinely request discharge paperwork when reviewing job applicants who have prior military service. A narrative reason for separation of ‘homosexuality’ or a negative reentry code can mean forcing veterans to out themselves to future employers or being denied employment altogether,” Jarvis stated in a SLDN press release.

In September 2011, Melvin Dwork, a World War II veteran who served in the Navy and was discharged in 1944 for being gay was able to upgrade his discharge paperwork owing to SLDN’s assistance.

As the organization continues its valuable work and continues to use technology in pursuit of its formidable goals and objectives, I feel privileged to have worked with Michelle Benecke and Disxon Osburn, who quickly saw the resource value of a website beyond a simple fund-raising vehicle. From the outset, SLDN served as an online destination that could save careers and in some cases, even lives.

Our collaborative efforts relating to the development of the web site allowed us to explore and innovate privacy solutions that were virtually non-existent, so that accessing the site wouldn’t compromise the identity of its visitors. A site that made (and continues making) life better for servicemembers who served their country with honor; setting legal precedents that ultimately led to DADT’s demise; and restoring the respect and dignity they so richly deserved.

As SLDN prepares to celebrate is 20th anniversary this year, the release of their new online Discharge Upgrade kit suggests the organization will continue to build and innovate on its strong foundations and technological legacy.

 

Clinton Fein is an internationally acclaimed author, artist, and First Amendment activist, best-​known for his 1997 First Amendment Supreme Court victory against United States Attorney General Janet Reno. Fein has also gained international recognition for his Annoy​.com site, and for his work as a political artist. Fein is on the Board of Directors of the First Amendment Project, “a nonprofit advocacy organization dedicated to protecting and promoting freedom of information, expression, and petition.” Fein’s political and privacy activism have been widely covered around the world. His work also led him to be nominated for a 2001 PEN/Newman’s Own First Amendment Award.

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News

‘You Don’t Care’: Gay Congressman Blasts Defense Secretary Over LGBTQ Troops

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June 13, 2025

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U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen, a Democrat and the first openly gay member of Congress from Illinois, delivered strong criticism of U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, accusing the embattled Pentagon chief of not caring about LGBTQ service members, and fostering an environment where LGBTQ people do not want to join the military. He also brought up the planned renaming of the USNS Harvey Milk, which the Secretary reportedly ordered to intentionally coincide with LGBTQ Pride Month.

Congressman Sorensen told Secretary Hegseth that Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in California, who was assassinated in 1978, served “courageously,” but was forced to resign from the Navy because he was gay.

“You see,” Congressman Sorensen said, “as a kid, all I wanted to be was the weatherman on TV. You know, I learned that I could have gone into the Army or the Navy to learn meteorology. But someone like me was not allowed. They didn’t want someone like me, Mr. Secretary.”

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“There wasn’t anything that I could do to change myself, or the way that my nation thought of me. And so I want to keep this very simple. Do you believe that Harvey Milk is a veteran who deserves his country’s thanks?”

Hegseth attempted to dodge the question.

“Sir, the decision to rename the ship was—” Hegseth began.

“I’m just asking, do you believe that Harvey Milk is a veteran who deserves his country’s thanks? Yes or no,” Sorensen pressed.

“If his service was deemed honorable, yes,” the Secretary replied.

“I disagree with your leadership,” Sorensen said, “because I believe that every veteran deserves our thanks. We all walk in the footsteps of leaders before us, and you may not find the value in the fact that many of those people are women, with different skin colors, different backgrounds, different talents, immigrants, gay, straight, transgender, disabled.”

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“You may want to change it, but you can’t. Because the America that you and I both serve is a place where everyone has the ability—or should have the ability—to grow up and be the hero their grandpa was. I wanted to do that when I was a kid.”

“We’re going back to that time,” the congressman warned. “Gay kids like me, they don’t want to go into the Army. They don’t want to go into the Navy, because you don’t care for them. It’s happening all over our country.”

“My grandpa taught me never to judge the value of a veteran’s service. And I hope, Mr. Secretary, you learn to do the same in your capacity, and you can find it in your heart, to make that part of your process.”

Watch the video below or at this link.

READ MORE: Democrats Demand Noem Testify After Handcuffing of US Senator Padilla

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News

‘Coup’: What DHS Secretary’s ‘Liberate’ Comment Means, According to Experts

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1 day ago

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June 13, 2025

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Before her protective squad forcibly removed, detained, and handcuffed a sitting U.S. Senator asking a question at her Los Angeles press conference, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem delivered remarks that legal and political experts warn are explosive.

“We are not going away,” Secretary Noem vowed, regarding herself and her Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, other DHS operatives, and the U.S. Military, all of whom she promised would “continue to sustain and increase our operations in this city.”

“We are staying here to liberate this city from the socialist and the burdensome leadership that this governor and that this mayor have placed on this country here,” she declared, referring to Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom and Democratic Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.

Experts are once again sounding the alarm.

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“I think the governor and mayor of Los Angeles are right,” declared U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA) on MSNBC on Thursday night. “I think they’re testing out their ability to essentially commandeer National Guards throughout the country, and use them for their own purposes.”

“One thing that got lost in the horrendous treatment of Alex Padilla today,” Schiff continued, “was what Kristi Noem said at that press conference in saying that it was necessary to have these troops there to ‘liberate’ the city from the socialists. That’s the kind of rhetoric the administration is using.”

He went on to say that “the fact that they would abuse the military that way and justify it that way is unconscionable.”

Other critics weighed in as well.

Quoting Secretary Noem’s remarks, Harvard University Professor Emeritus Laurence Tribe, a top constitutional law scholar, wrote: “Using military force to displace a democratically elected state government is called a coup.”

Former prosecutor and former Hill staffer Stephen Rodio remarked, “Trump’s regime is going to liberate us from the people that we elected to represent us.”

“Be clear on what she’s saying here,” wrote podcaster Joe Walsh, a former GOP Tea Party Congressman and now a Democrat and political commentator. “She’s saying that Trump is going to use the U.S. military to overthrow both the duly elected Mayor of Los Angeles & the Governor of California. I understand she’s not very bright, but, in essence, she’s saying the federal government has declared war on California.”

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“Quiet Part Out Loud?” asked U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI). “Sounds a lot like she’s saying they’re there to liberate the city from its elected government.

Lincoln Project senior advisor Stuart Stevens also quoted Noem’s remarks, then wrote: “That’s a statement of intent of a coup, to ‘liberate’ a state from legally elected officials. Then armed men tackle and shackle one of those leaders. Nothing about we are here to arrest violent offenders and support law enforcement.”

“The declared purpose is to undo the choice of voters. Nothing like this has ever happened in modern America except the insurrection of Jan. 6th, which Noem supported, including her support for pardoning those who assaulted law enforcement.”

“Greeted as liberators, you say?” wrote Wall Street Journal reporter Alex Ward, appearing to echo former Bush 43 Vice President Dick Cheney’s fated 2003 Iraq War claim.

“Do the decent thing and resign, Noem,” urged former U.S, Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D-NH). “The world is watching.”

Watch the video below or at this link.

READ MORE: ‘Not Today Hegseth’: Dem Slams Defense Secretary as ‘Unfit to Lead’ in Fiery Exchange

 

Image via Reuters

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In Reversal, Trump Uses Term Tied to Ethnic Cleansing Amid Renewed Mass Deportation Demand

Published

1 day ago

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June 13, 2025

By

Facing backlash from his base over an announced, possible exemption for undocumented immigrants working in agriculture and hospitality, President Donald Trump has entirely reversed course, now calling for the mass “remigration” of all undocumented individuals. The term “remigration” is closely associated with ethnic cleansing and far-right European movements, including the neo-fascist political party backed by both Trump and his vice president.

In a wild rant steeped in fascist and ethnonationalist rhetoric, Trump baselessly attacked the Biden administration and characterized all undocumented immigrants as takers costing the country billions—despite the fact that the undocumented population is a net economic positive for the United States.

“The Biden Administration and Governor Newscum,” Trump declared Tuesday evening—using his derogatory nickname for California Governor Gavin Newsom—“flooded America with 21 Million Illegal Aliens, destroying Schools, Hospitals and Communities, and consuming untold Billions of Dollars in Free Welfare.”

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These claims are not supported by evidence.

“All of them have to go home, as do countless other Illegals and Criminals, who will turn us into a bankrupt Third World Nation. America was invaded and occupied. I am reversing the Invasion. It’s called Remigration. Our courageous ICE Officers, who are daily being subjected to doxxing and murder threats, are HEROES. We will always have their back as they carry out this noble mission. America will be for Americans again!”

Just one day earlier, Trump had declared that undocumented immigrants working on farms, in agriculture, the hotel and entertainment industries are “very good, long time workers,” who are “almost impossible to replace.”

READ MORE: ‘Not Today Hegseth’: Dem Slams Defense Secretary as ‘Unfit to Lead’ in Fiery Exchange

“Changes are coming!” he vowed.

“Our farmers,” Trump also said Thursday at a press conference, according to The New York Times, “are being hurt badly by, you know, they have very good workers, they have worked for them for 20 years.”

“They’re not citizens, but they’ve turned out to be, you know, great. And we’re going to have to do something about that. We can’t take farmers and take all their people and send them back because they don’t have maybe what they’re supposed to have, maybe not.”

“We can’t do that to our farmers and leisure, too, hotels,” he said, suggesting an executive order was in the works. “We’re going to have to use a lot of common sense on that.”

All that appears to have been a blip.

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