Last night Sacramento Valley Veterans (SVV), along with LGBT Veterans groups, hosted a celebration at Head Hunters/Kennedy Gallery in midtown. The crowd was enthusiastic for several public figures who dropped by to share their support and happiness that the 18-year long Don't Ask, Don't Tell compromise ended. It allowed homosexuals to serve in the military by keeping our sexual orientation under wraps. That was 20 years after I enlisted. I'm gay. I served in the US Navy from '73 to '77 and received an honorable discharge at the end of my enlistment. I've carried a mental smirk about that ever since. During last night's celebration, emcee Ty Redhouse, SVV President and USAF veteran aske

The Sacramento Gay and Lesbian Center is heralding the end of the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy, which bans gay men and women from serving openly in the military. Congress voted in December to repeal the 17 year old DADT policy; DADT officially ends on September 20. “Despite last minute attempts by House Republican leaders to delay the lifting of DADT, the discriminatory policy will officially end on Tuesday. This is a great day for America, as the United States takes another important step in the fight for equal rights for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender persons,” said Sara Freid, the interim executive director of the Sacramento Gay and Lesbian Center. “The Lesbian, Gay,

President Obama recently signed a repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the policy that for the past 17 years has prohibited gay individuals from serving openly in the military. The repeal will take effect in September. Democratic Assemblyman Roger Dickinson made a public statement expressing his support of President Obama’s decision to overturn DODT. “Members of our military are serving four or five tours of duty, repeatedly putting their lives on the line to serve our country. These heroic men and women who courageously fight to protect us should not be forced to hide their identities,” he said. The Sacramento Press asked citizens at Capital Park to share their thoughts on the repeal of

The Sacramento International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (SIGLFF), held at the Crest Theatre, had a successful run during the weekend. Three nights of showcase short and full length movies were shown and were well received. Each evening started with a VIP reception with Zócalo providing hors d’oeuvres. Barefoot Winery provided a station for wine, champagne, and other drinks. Informational stations were set up in the lobby entrance. Tina Stidman, Vice President of the Sacramento Valley Veterans (SVV) and other volunteers were on hand to promote the fight to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”. The SVV co-presented A Marine Story at the festival. Stidman also introduced me to the co-star Par

Sacramento, CA – May 27, 2010 – Today the Senate Armed Services Committee voted 16-12 to allow the repeal of the long-standing ban on gays serving openly in the U.S. Military. This evening the United States House of Representatives voted on striking down “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and with a vote of 234 Yea and 194 Nay, the repeal bill passed. In the end 5 Republicans voted for it and 26 Democrats voted against. The bill needed at least 218 votes to pass. After the results were announced, applause rang out in the otherwise stoic House Chambers. The highly controversial issue will move to the full Senate floor sometime this summer. In a statement released by Wendy Rae Hill, the newly appoin

AB 223 and 351 passed through Assembly committee hearings on Wednesday afternoon at the Capitol. At least 100 San Francisco high school students stood lining the hallway outside room 126 to support the bills. Some were wearing military attire, and others wore stickers on their shirts that read “I love JROTC”. Inside, meanwhile, the Assembly Education Committee heard each bill, both involving San Francisco’s Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program. AB 223, introduced last month by Assemblywoman Fiona Ma (D-San Francisco), is an urgency measure, meaning that with a two-thirds majority vote in both the Assembly and Senate, it will require the San Francisco Unified School District to