The petition will also be distributed through booths at LGBT pride celebrations and a

"I call on our leaders in Congress, the White House and the Pentagon to lift the ban on lesbian, gay and bisexual service members in our armed forces."

national ad campaign will launch this summer in Pride Magazine. SLDN and AVER will collect signatures for presentation to Congress to mark the 10th anniversary of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law. The petition reads:

I call on our leaders in Congress, the White House and the Pentagon to lift
the ban on lesbian, gay and bisexual service members in our armed forces. Our men and women in uniform should be able to live and serve honestly. The time
to lift the ban, and realize our nation's promise of the freedom to serve, is now.

“A decade of discrimination is a decade too long,” said SLDN Executive Director C. Dixon Osburn. “SLDN is proud to be partnering with AVER for this important project. The voice of every American, and especially the voices of those who have served, will be instrumental in repealing this law. LiftTheBan.org is an important component of SLDN’s strategic plan to repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’”

Bob Lehman of AVER’s San Diego chapter introduced the Lift the Ban campaign there in 2002 to enthusiastic public response. More than 1800 people have already signed the petition. SLDN and AVER hope a national campaign will result in hundreds of thousands of signatures.

LiftTheBan.org is designed and maintained by Mediapolis, Inc. The summer ad campaign is made possible through a donation from Pride Magazine.