The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network and OutServe have formally merged (but the OutServe website does not appear to be merged yet). To oversee this merger and lead the combined forces of OutServe-SLDN forward against the forces of inequality, there is a change in leadership, with SLDN leader Aubrey Sarvis and OutServe founder Josh Seefreid stepping down, to be replaced by Allyson Robinson.
Robinson is an Army veteran, a 1994 graduate of West Point, who commanded Patriot missile units in Europe and the Middle East before resigning her commission in 1999, when she chose to become a Christian minister. She earned a masters degree in divinity with am emphasis in social justice from Baylor University in 2007.
Her selection -- more than a year after the end of the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell" policy allowed gay and lesbian troops (but not transgender servicemembers) to serve openly -- is seen as an indication that activists consider their work unfinished. Along with the inclusion of transgender men and women, the major stumbling block to full equality for the LGBT community in the military is the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which bars married same-sex couples from receiving the same benefits as their straight peers.
Robinson lives in Gaithersburg, MD with her wife of 18 years and their four children.
Allyson Robinson is exactly the right person at the right time to be our leader and voice in Washington in the fight to achieve full LGBT equality in the military. She comes with an exemplary military background, strong political and policy acumen, and a deep commitment and vision for bringing about the changes needed to carry forward the work we began with the repeal of 'don't ask, don't tell.'
--April Heinze, a retired Navy captain and co-chair of the SLDN board of directors
The LGBT rights movement is made stronger by the inspired appointment of Allyson Robinson as head of a critically important organization. As a West Point graduate, experienced officer and movement leader, she brings her extensive knowledge of the issues to this new assignment. What I admire most about Allyson is that she leads with her heart and that quality will serve our troops and veterans extraordinarily well as we continue the fight for full equality.
--HRC President Chad Griffin
I am honored to lead the new OutServe-SLDN into this next phase of advocacy and action on behalf of our brave LGBT service members, veterans, and their families,” Robinson said in a statement announcing her new role. “Until they are guaranteed equal opportunity, recognition, support and benefits, our mission is incomplete. We cannot and will not leave them behind.
--Allyson Robinson
Prior to this position, she was deputy director for employee programs at the
Human Rights Campaign Foundation Workplace Project.
Most recently, as the first Deputy Director for Employee Programs of the HRC Foundation’s Workplace Project, Robinson drove the design and delivery of HRC’s broad portfolio of training and curricula for corporate leadership and employee audiences to improve LGBT cultural competence and inclusion in the workplace.
--OutServe-SLDN news release
We cannot stop until we reach the day when all qualified Americans who wish to wear the uniform of our armed forces have the opportunity to do so with honor and integrity -- and without fear of discrimination or harassment -- whether they are gay, bisexual or transgender.
--Allyson Robinson, Army Times
We're in the middle of a fight, just as certainly as we were before 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' was ever repealed. There have been some, many perhaps, who have been under this notion, 'What's left to do?' There is so much left to do.
I think a crucial part of that strategy is ensuring that the stories of transgender servicemembers and veterans are being told. Trans people have served from our nation's founding, just as LGB people have. Because of the state of medical and readiness regulations, they continue to be forced into silence. Having an organization like ours, that can help to elevate those stories and make them a part of the conversation, is very, very important. The more we tell those stories, the closer we are to winning that fight.
--Allyson Robinson