Sacramento Valley Veterans To Celebrate End of DADT
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the law that has prohibited lesbian, gay, and bisexual servicemembers from serving openly will officially end on September 20th.
To commemorate the occasion, the Sacramento Valley Veterans (SVV), along with LGBT Veterans groups across the country, are hosting celebrations. Sacramento’s celebration will take place at Head Hunters and will include the Kennedy Gallery.
SVV is the home of Sacramento’s LGBT veterans, servicemembers, and allies, and has been working closely with American Veterans for Equal Rights (AVER), Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), and other DADT repeal advocate organizations in the efforts to repeal the policy enacted in 1993.
“After eighteen years, our brothers and sisters in arms will be able to serve their country without having to compromise the military’s core value of integrity,” said Ty Redhouse, SVV President and USAF veteran, “This celebration marks the end of an era and the start of a new one. From here, we will have a different set of circumstances to address. Though DADT may be on its way out, the matter of partner benefits and other issues will have to be addressed. SVV will continue to be there for our brave men and women and their loved ones.”
The celebration is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. and will include a singing of the national anthem, which for many LGBT Veterans will have a truer meaning than ever before, photo displays, and presentations from veterans.
The Kennedy Gallery will open their lobby for a DADT-themed display of photographic works by Alex Calder and SVV’s own Anthony Loverde who has been involved in the judicial fight to end DADT. Loverde has channeled his photographic experience to raise awareness of DADT’s effects on our nation’s servicemembers in his photobook, A Silent Force: Men and Women Serving Under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. The gallery display will also feature a timeline of DADT and how it has affected LGBT servicemembers and the military. SVV members will display photos of themselves and invite all veterans to bring in their own photos to add to the Wall of Honor.
Included in the ceremony will be a moment of silence in recognition of LGBT and all servicemembers who have lost their lives in service to our country and for transgender servicemembers who still will not be able to serve openly despite the repeal of DADT.
The celebration ceremony will be held on the Head Hunters patio, 1930 K Street, and the adjoining Kennedy Gallery, and will start at 6 p.m. with no-host cocktails, light appetizers, and mingling. At about 6:30 p.m., the Sacramento Gay Men’s Chorus will perform the national anthem, followed by short presentations by SVV President Ty Redhouse, Anthony Loverde, and other veterans and servicemembers who wish to speak on DADT and its repeal.
The event is free and open to the public. Cake and ice cream will be served in addition to the military’s infamous “bug juice.”
“We invite the Sacramento community to come out for this celebration. We have waited, watched, and engaged the opponents of military equality; we’ve pushed back, fought, and prevailed. This is our time to celebrate before we step on the road to a more equal future for our nation’s military,” said Redhouse, “You can be a part of this momentous occasion in American history.”
Sacramento Valley Veterans (SVV) is a local chapter of American Veterans for Equal Rights (AVER), a nationwide organization comprised of LGBT veterans and servicemembers, For more information, visit www.sacvalleyvets.com
