OutServe announced Thursday the first OutServe Capital Summit to be held May 14-15 in Washington D.C. focusing on the theme “Our Families Matter”. The two-day event is co-sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign, Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, and Courage Campaign organizations.
The Summit will aim to focus on the legal rights of gay and lesbian military partners including the support needed during and after deployments. For instance, spouses and partners of gay and lesbian servicemembers are denied certain benefits and privileges, including the right to pick up a child from military day care or purchasing groceries from the commissary. Through the Summit, OutServe aims to provide resources for education, counseling, healthcare, and other services otherwise not received by LGBT families in the military.
“SLDN is looking forward to being a partner in this first-of-its-kind event that will welcome gay and lesbian service members, their families, and other supporters of full LGBT equality in the military to our nation’s capital to discuss issues, challenges and opportunities and share their experiences with decision makers,” said SLDN Communications Director Zeke Stokes in a statement to San Diego LGBT Weekly.
The Summit will also include visits to elected and/or appointed officials to educate them on the challenges facing gay and lesbian military families.
“Our goal with this Summit is to bring together the military community to address the issues that affect LGBT military families and how to solve them,” said Josh Seefried, co-director of OutServe. “We need to educate decision-makers, as private citizens, how our families are affected – and send a clear message that our families matter.”
