Lesbian & Gay Military Veterans Appeal District Court Ruling on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

BOSTON, MA - Twelve lesbian and gay veterans of the war on terror yesterday filed a brief in the First Circuit Court of Appeals, in Massachusetts, challenging the constitutionality of the federal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” ban on lesbian, gay and bisexual service personnel. The case, Cook v. Rumsfeld, was filed on behalf of the plaintiffs by Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) and the law firm of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP. The appeal challenges an April decision by the District Court which dismissed the lawsuit. The Cook lawsuit, filed in December 2004, asserts that “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” punishes gay, lesbian and bisexual service members for their sexual orientation and for their private, constitutionally protected conduct. As a result, the plaintiffs argue, it has denied and continues to deny them several Constitutional rights, including... continue at Serviceman's Legal Defense Network