Very soon America will know how the Supreme Court has chosen to handle the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), and we at OutServe-SLDN are preparing for all scenarios. Meanwhile, we are doing all we can to secure the freedom to serve for our transgender brothers and sisters, and recent months have brought us renewed opportunities to raise  awareness among policy makers in Washington, D.C. and elsewhere about the unjust policies and regulations that bar their service.

One thing I know is certain. Soon—very soon—we will accomplish our formal policy goals. But as incredible an accomplishment as that will be, it is only the beginning of our work. Changing laws, regulations, and policies is the easy part. Changing culture is something entirely different and actually takes a lot more time and considerably more work.

That’s why our board of directors met in Washington, D.C. in early May to chart a new course for our future as an organization. The result is a new mission statement and set of strategic aims that I am excited to share with you now:

OutServe-SLDN empowers, supports, and defends the Department of Defense and military service LGBT community, LGBT veterans, and their families, while working to strengthen our military’s culture of inclusion.

We accomplish this mission through the following strategic priorities:

• Providing LGBT service members with unique opportunities for professional development, support, networking, and camaraderie at the local, regional, and national level;
• Building local, regional, and national networks of support for LGBT military families;
• Mobilizing and organizing LGBT service members, Department of Defense (DoD) civilians, veterans, their families, and their allies to make unique contributions to the quality of life of our military communities;
• Providing support to LGBT service members, DoD civilians, veterans, and their families facing harassment or discrimination;
• Educating and informing the public on matters related to the service and sacrifice of LGBT military personnel, DoD civilians, veterans, and their families and on the value of a military culture of inclusion;
• Equipping DoD and the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) to create inclusive and respectful command climates and the institutional culture of LGBT inclusion to undergird them;
• Advocating within DoD and DVA for regulatory changes to remove barriers to equal opportunity and equal support;
• Advocating before Congress and the White House for measures that support LGBT service members, veterans, and families, while defending against those that would limit our gains.

One of changes we are making in the near term is to open membership in OutServe-SLDN to supporters beyond those who are actively serving members of the military. Building a culture of inclusion and respect for LGBT people in DoD and DVA is an incredibly ambitious goal, and even our best effort will not be enough if we are working alone. To accomplish the mission, we must include the broad community of those who have served to defend our nation—veterans, retirees, allies of all sexual orientations and gender identities—and, indeed, all who believe our military ought to be leading the country in inclusion rather than lagging behind it. If you are ready to pitch in and lend your support to our mission and America’s LGBT military community, then we have a place for you.

No matter who you are…you belong here.

Today it is legal for gay and lesbian service members to serve openly. They can be “out” — but they are anything but equal. It has been more than two years since President Barack Obama signed the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act of 2010, and yet gay and lesbian service members still do not receive equal treatment, equal protection or equal support for their equal service.

Much of this is the fault of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defines marriage for federal purposes as the “union between one man and one woman.” As much as military leaders at all levels may wish to treat the troops under their command with equity, they are forced by federal law to discriminate. As a result, gay and lesbian service members are denied access to critical benefits and meaningful support programs the services provide to help families face the unique challenges of military life.

This denial weakens the force itself. Our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen perform best when they know that their loved ones are well cared for and will continue to be well cared for even if they are asked to make the ultimate sacrifice. Today, gay and lesbian service members can take no such comfort. DOMA categorically denies it to them.

But while we’ve known these inequities exist, little has been done until now to quantify the toll this disparity takes on gay and lesbian service members and their families, and how that discrimination undermines the military mission.

A new joint effort of the Center for American Progress and OutServe-SLDN explores exactly how DOMA wreaks havoc on the lives of gay and lesbian service members and their families. The report places in stark relief the daily struggles and near-constant indignities that result when a federal law insists on creating two classes of service members. It demonstrates precisely how gay and lesbian service members and their families—and the military as a whole—are weakened by the law.

Service members and commanders in the field have been telling this story in bits and pieces since DADT repeal took effect more than a year ago. They know how DOMA hurts them and their families, and they can see how the law harms their units and their commands. We’ve seen how this is playing out on the ground. With this report, we have the bigger picture, and the story it tells is just as indicting. DOMA is not just unfair, nor is it merely demeaning—though it is certainly both. It is an issue of national security, and it must be repealed.

To view the full report, visit http://www.outserve-sldn.org/CollateralDamage.

Allyson D. Robinson is a West Point graduate, former Army officer, and former Baptist minister. She was appointed the first Executive Director of the newly combined organization, OutServe-SLDN, in Oct. 2012.

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