Meet the Plaintiffs

Major Shannon L. McLaughlin, ARNG and Casey McLaughlin

MAJ Shannon McLaughlin is a United States Army Major in the Massachusetts National Guard and serves as a Judge Advocate General (JAG). Her current military assignment is Chief of Legal Assistance for the Massachusetts Army National Guard. She has served for 13 years and is married in the State of Massachusetts to her partner of more than three years, Casey McLaughlin. They are the proud parents of ten-month old twins, Grace and Grant McLaughlin. MAJ McLaughlin has been mobilized and deployed overseas in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and served stateside in various roles during her military career as a JA. Prior to becoming an officer, MAJ McLaughlin attained the rank of Sergeant as an enlisted soldier.

Remarks from SLDN Press Conference, 10/27/11, Washington, DC:

"My name is Shannon McLaughlin. I am a U.S. Army Major in the Massachusetts National Guard and serve as a Judge Advocate General My current military assignment is as Chief of Legal Assistance for the Massachusetts Army National Guard. I have served this country I love for 13 years and have deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Two years ago, I married my wife Casey in the State of Massachusetts, and she’s here today with Grant, one of our ten-month old twins.

For us, this inequity means that Casey is not eligible for health insurance and is unable to come onto post to make use of facilities, services, and family support services that would otherwise be available to us if we were of the opposite sex.

For our family and all the families you will meet today, it boils down to this. We’ve been serving our country too long, working too hard, and sacrificing too much to see our families denied the same recognition, support and benefits as our straight, married counterparts."

Captain Steve M. Hill, USAR and Joshua Snyder

CAPT Steve Hill is an Army reservist with 18 years of service currently on active duty at an undisclosed post in the Middle East. He is also a veteran of Operation Desert Shield. He is married to Joshua Snyder, his partner of more than a year, and they reside in Columbus, OH, where CAPT Hill is a Director of Public Health for Franklin County. CAPT Hill recently drew national interest when he submitted a video via You Tube that was used during the Fox News/Google Republican Presidential Debate in September to question the candidates about the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

Read more: Republican Debate Audience Boos Gay Soldier Stephen Hill After DADT Question (9/23/11, Huffington Post)

Remarks from SLDN Press Conference, 10/27/11, Washington, DC:

"My name is Joshua Snyder. I am married to Captain Steve Hill, an Army reservist who cannot be here with us today because he is on active duty in Iraq.

Steve is the service member who drew attention last month when he submitted a video that was used during the Fox News Presidential Debate to question the candidates about the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

What you don’t know is that there was more to his question. Steve went on to ask what, if anything, those candidates would do to ensure that we would receive the same benefits and family support as all other military families.

Would I, as his spouse, qualify for health care benefits and other family support programs? Would I be able to receive his survivor benefits should something terrible happen to Steve while deployed to the Middle East?

But those questions were left unanswered that night and they may not be answered by our political process for quite some time.

So today, Steve and I have elected to take another route – the judicial route. We believe strongly that DOMA and these other laws ignore our families and treat us as less than our married, straight friends. They are an injustice. And that’s why we are here today."

Chief Warrant Officer 2 (CW2) Charlie Morgan, ARNG and Karen Morgan

CW2 Charlie Morgan currently resides in New Hampshire, where she is married to her partner of more than 14 years, Karen Morgan, a part-time special education teacher, whose primary responsibility is caring for their four-year old daughter Casey Elena. With more than sixteen years of service, she now works full time as an Active Guard Reserve Education Officer in the New Hampshire National Guard. In 2010, she was deployed to mobilization training at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, followed by Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, before returning home to New Hampshire in August 2011. Karen’s lack of spousal recognition means she is unable to gain access to health and dental insurance, causing the family to purchase it at full cost with no discount. In addition, her inability to receive a military identification card prevents her from taking their daughter, who is a dependent with her own ID card, on post to take advantage of facilities and services otherwise available to families. CW2 Morgan is a cancer survivor who recently has been diagnosed with recurrent cancer. She worries every day that if her health takes a turn for the worse, her military survivor benefits will not be conferred.

Read more: Gay Service Member to Attend Military Event with Partner (Published 10/19/11, Advocate)

Remarks from SLDN Press Conference, 10/27/11, Washington, DC:

"I am Chief Warrant Officer Charlie Morgan of the New Hampshire National Guard. My wife, Karen, a part-time special education teacher, is by my side. We are the parents of a four-year-old daughter, Casey Elena. I have served for more than 16 years and work as a full time Active Guard Reserve Education Officer and just returned from a deployment to Kuwait.

We are proud to join the fight to challenge these unjust laws. Indeed, this may very well be about life and death for us. I am a breast cancer survivor and was recently diagnosed with a recurrence.

What I worry about most of all is that my health will take a turn for the worse, and Karen would not be eligible to receive the survivor’s benefits to which she is entitled to help care for our daughter.

As plaintiffs, we’re not looking to make history. We are just looking to receive the same benefits and opportunities as our married heterosexual counterparts, and time may not be on our side."

Lieutenant Gary Ross, USN and Dan Swezy

LT Gary Ross has served in the U.S. Navy since 1995 and is currently stationed at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, where he works for the Joint Interoperability Test Command’s Warfighter Support Division. His duties include standing watch as both the critical and routine Hotline Support Officer for the 24/7 operational, contingency, and routine inoperability problem technical support task team. He also provides support for joint, inter-agency, and coalition communication exercises. He married his partner of more than 11 years, Dan Swezy, in the State of Vermont at 12:01 a.m. on September 20, 2011 as the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” took effect.

Read more: Post-'Don't Ask', Gay Navy Lt. Marries (Published 9/20/11, Politico)

Remarks from SLDN Press Conference, 10/27/11, Washington, DC:
"Good morning, my name is Gary Ross and I am a Lieutenant in the United States Navy. Today I am here with my husband Dan Swezy. We have been together for nearly twelve years; however, we were just recently allowed to be married just after the stroke of midnight on September 20th of this year, as soon as the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law was repealed.

For us to be able to be married legally, and our relationship publicly acknowledged for the first time, has been an incredible experience. But, allowing gay and lesbian Americans to serve openly, while at the same time treating their families unequally, is simply not right.

I have been in the Navy for more than 16 years, and I have spent my entire adult life serving our country. However, for the first time since my service began, I am no longer required by law to stand silently and watch gay and lesbian service members be treated like second class citizens. All service members deserve the same network of support.

I would like to close with a quote that I recently read, which I believe sums up our feelings quite well: "Inclusion without equality is incomplete. The job is not done.""

Lieutenant Colonel Victoria A. Hudson, USAR and Monika Poxon

LTC Victoria A. Hudson has served in the U.S. Army Reserve for more than 32 years, including four years enlisted service. She is a veteran of Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm, Operation Joint Endeavor (peace enforcement mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina), two Operation Noble Eagle domestic tours of duty following the September 11, 2001 attacks on the U.S., and one tour in Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom. She has held a variety of command and staff positions including military intelligence company commander, civil affairs company commander, brigade operations officer (G3) and two battalion commands. She is married to her partner of ten years, Monika Poxon, and they live in Hayward, CA, with their two-year-old daughter.

Remarks from SLDN Press Conference, 10/27/11, Washington, DC:

"I am Lieutenant Colonel Vicki Hudson of the U.S. Army Reserve. I have served for more than 32 years and am a veteran of Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm, U.S. peacekeeping efforts in Bosnia – Herzegovina, post 9/11 Homeland Defense, and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

I am married to my partner of ten years, Monika Poxon, who remained in California today to care for our two-year-old daughter.

This case, for us, is about basic fairness and respect. Our military prides itself with treating everyone equally. Our ethos and values demand we leave no one behind and that includes our families. So whether you’re enlisted or an officer, you can be assured that your colleagues of the same rank, position, and service, are receiving the same pay and benefits as you, that all are treated with respect and dignity. That is, unless you are gay or lesbian. Today, our government has created a second-tier class of service members, who are not eligible for the same benefits, recognition, and family support.

As someone who has commanded two companies and two battalions, I am uncomfortable with this inequity. I cannot look some of my Soldiers in the eye and tell them on one hand that we value their service, while on the other hand, sending the strong signal that we don’t value their families.

I know better. I know our military places a high premium on the family. I know it is our spouses who keep the family together when we are deployed and and in harm's way. We go, focused and mission ready, trusting our families are cared for. Gay and Lesbian service members are denied that trust.

So, as much as this is for my own family, it’s for the countless other families being impacted by this inequity already – and those who will come after them and continue to be treated unequally, unless we challenge the status quo."

Airman First Class (A1C) Daniel Henderson, USAF and Jerret Henderson

A1C Daniel P. Henderson joined the U.S. Air Force in November of 2010 and is currently stationed in Cheyenne, Wyoming, where he works as a member of the 90th Security Forces Group, providing continuous security for the 90th Missile Wing’s most vital assets. The mission of the 90th SFG includes the protection of F. E. Warren AFB, 15 Missile Alert Facilities (MAFs) and 150 Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) on constant 24-hour alert throughout a 9,600 square-mile area spanning three states. The 90th SFG also sustains a combat-ready force deployable worldwide in support of wartime and peacetime tasks. He is married Jerret Henderson, his partner of more than 3 years. They plan to start the adoption process within the next few years and become parents.

Captain Joan E. Darrah, USN (Retired) and Lynne Kennedy

CAPT Joan E. Darrah joined the Navy in 1973 and served as a Naval Intelligence officer until her retirement in 2002. Her assignments included Deputy Director of the Human Resources Directorate at the Office of Naval Intelligence and the Intelligence Community Senior Detailer and Community Manager at the Bureau of Naval Personnel. From June 1997 until July 2000, she was assigned as the Chief of Staff and Deputy Commander at the Office of Naval Intelligence. Her final assignment was on the staff of the Director of Naval Intelligence where she was the Officer and Enlisted Community Manager. She is married to Lynne Kennedy, her partner since 1990, and they live in Alexandria, Virginia.

Read more: SLDN Stories from the Frontlines, Lynne Kennedy (8/23/10, SLDN.org)

Remarks from SLDN Press Conference, 10/27/11, Washington, DC:

"I am Captain Joan Darrah. I retired from the U.S. Navy in 2002 after 29 ½ years of service. My spouse and partner of more than 20 years, Lynne Kennedy, and I are here on behalf of married gay and lesbian veterans, who like those military personnel currently serving, are not eligible for equal benefits and support from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The inequalities of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” were brought home to me on September 11, 2001. That morning I attended an intelligence briefing at the Pentagon. I left that meeting at 9:30 a.m. At 9:37 a.m., American Airlines Flight No. 77 slammed into the Pentagon and destroyed the exact space I had left less than eight minutes earlier, killing seven of my colleagues. Had I been killed or injured, Lynne would not have been notified as under DADT, as I had not dared to list her name in any of my emergency paperwork.

We ended “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and that was a monumental achievement toward equality. But we’re not there yet. We are proud to join this suit as we work together to bring full equality to all of America’s service members, veterans, and their families."

Colonel Stewart Bornhoft, USA (Retired) and former Lieutenant Stephen McNabb, USN

COL Stewart Bornhoft served in the U.S. Army from the time of his West Point graduation in 1969 until his retirement in 1995. He completed two tours of duty in Vietnam before serving in Europe for three years and commanding two districts of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In his final tour of duty, COL Bornhoft was the Director of Public Works at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, during which time he was called to Oklahoma City by the Commander of the Third Army to be the Secretary of the Army’s Defense Coordinating Officer on-site during the rescue and recovery efforts following the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in April 1995. He is married to Stephen McNabb, a former Navy Lieutenant with eight years of active duty service and his partner of 15 years, and they live in Bonita, CA.