[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 58 (Thursday, May 5, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E894-E895]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        HONORING THE SERVICEMEMBERS LEGAL DEFENSE NETWORK (SLDN)

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MARTIN T. MEEHAN

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 5, 2005

  Mr. MEEHAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the hard work and 
dedication of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), a national 
non-profit organization dedicated to ending the military's failed 
``Don't Ask, Don't Tell'' policy.
  SLDN was co-founded by Dixon Osburn and Michelle Beneke in 1994 as a 
legal service agency with the mission of providing counsel to service 
members discharged under ``Don't Ask, Don't Tell.'' Since that time, 
SLDN has assisted more than 6,500 gay and lesbian troops and obtained 
thirty-five improvements to military regulations related to the policy.
  Today, SLDN is the Nation's leading advocacy organization dedicated 
to repealing ``Don't Ask, Don't Tell'' and ensuring open service in our 
armed forces. Through tenacity and strong leadership, the organization 
has made significant steps forward in breaking down the barrier that 
bans gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military. The gay, 
lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community looks to SLDN as a model 
for accomplishing policy change.
  2004 was a groundbreaking year for the organization. SLDN filed a 
monumental lawsuit on behalf of twelve veterans of the War on Terror, 
challenging the constitutionality of ``Don't Ask, Don't Tell'' in 
federal court. SLDN's legal expertise also paved the way for two 
victorious cases before the Army Court of Criminal Appeals, overturning 
military sodomy convictions. And the staff mobilized veterans and 
supporters from twenty-two states to meet with 90 Congressional offices 
on their annual ``Lobby Day.''
  I have had the pleasure of working with SLDN since my freshman term 
in Congress.

[[Page E895]]

Most recently, we came together to draft the Military Readiness 
Enhancement Act, historic legislation to repeal ``Don't Ask, Don't 
Tell'' and replace it with a nondiscrimination policy. Because of 
SLDN's staunch efforts to win support in Congress, I introduced the 
bill with more than fifty cosponsors on March 2, 2005. We now have more 
than eighty cosponsors of this bipartisan bill today.
  As SLDN celebrates its national dinner on May 7th, I commend the 
staff, board, and supporters for their commitment and perseverance. 
Just as the advocacy of civil rights groups paved the way for 
desegregation in the military, I am confident that SLDN's hard work 
will soon lead to the demise of the discriminatory and 
counterproductive ``Don't Ask, Don't Tell'' policy.

                          ____________________