Trans Woman to Head Prominent LGBT Military Group

Servicemembers Legal Defense Network and OutServe, a joint organization advocating for LGBT military personnel, has tapped 1994 West Point graduate Allyson Robinson to lead the group in a post-"don't ask, don't tell" world.

Robinson, a lesbian trans woman from Scranton, Pa., and now living in Maryland, is a respected Army veteran. She commanded PATRIOT missile units in Europe and the Middle East as well as serving as a trainer for NATO and an adviser to the armed forces of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar. Robinson earned a master of dvinity degree in theology from Texas's Baylor University in 2007 before going to work at the Human Rights Campaign Foundation's Workplace Project, where she helped the organization design programs to improve fair inclusion in the workplace.

As head of SLDN-Outserve, Robinson says her priority is speeding the fight for equal support and benefits for all servicemembers regardless of orientation or gender expression.

"The repeal of 'don't ask, don't tell' taught us that to be victorious, we must fight inequality on multiple fronts — in the court, on Capitol Hill, and in the public square," Robinson said in a release. "It's time to pass the Respect for Marriage Act, revise laws that prevent the military from honoring the service of all of our nation's men and women in uniform, and end marriage discrimination for our servicemembers and their families once and for all."