As San Diego prepares for Momentum on the Midway dance party to benefit the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), the nonprofit military watchdog organization is taking steps to insure that active duty and reserve members of the military are able to enjoy the party.

“In the past we’ve had a great deal of success in attracting both active duty, reserve and former members of the military to SLDN events and we’re attempting to do that this year and we expect we will have a great turnout from the military,” said Mike Magee, who is a local attorney who volunteers with SLDN and is on the steering committee for the Momentum on the Midway party. “SLDN has gone to great lengths to be sure that all members of the military, both active duty and reserve, feel secure coming to the event. We’re working with a licensed security company for the safety of all participants and we are going to have very strict guidelines in place with regards to media access into the event…. This is done to insure that everyone there feels secure and is there to have a good time rather than to worry about if their picture’s going to be taken.”

Momentum on the Midway will be part of a weekend of military themed parties in San Diego culminating with a Saturday night dance party onboard the historic U.S.S. Midway aircraft carrier that has been docked in San Diego Bay since last spring. Proceeds from the party will benefit SLDN, an advocacy organization assisting military personnel harmed by “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”. Since 1993, SLDN has provided free, confidential legal counsel to more than 5,700 men and women in uniform.

Because the party has become such a high profile event, SLDN is taking extra precautions to insure that members of the military are able to enjoy the festivities aboard the Midway as well as in the local bars that are also sponsoring the events.

“We will have security at the party itself,” said Dixon C. Osborn, executive director of SLDN. “If anybody detects any concerns whatsoever, then they should immediately report it. We will have a number of volunteers there as well, in addition to the security to try to make it as safe as possible. At the same time, it’s what we would advise people when they go to bars or if they are online is that you should not reveal personal information about yourself to folks just so that you remain further protected.”

According to Steve Ralls, the director of communications for SLDN, several requests have been made by local media organizations to cover the event and some access has been granted, but they are being asked to adhere to SLDN’s no camera policy.

“SLDN has as our first priority protecting the confidentiality of service members who are attending the event,” Ralls said. “So we will be escorting all media to make sure that there is no unauthorized photography and that no photo’s appear in the press that could inadvertently out a service member who may be in attendance.”

Since the enactment of the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy, which also includes the provisions, ‘don’t pursue and don’t harass,’ the armed forces have put a halt to the witch-hunts that once occurred. For example, it used to be policy to have military police go into gay and lesbian bars looking for service members.

“They are not allowed to monitor who is coming in and out of bars, they would not be allowed to monitor who is coming in and out of a private party, which this is,” Osborn said, explaining that the military would be in violation of its own policy if it were to cover the party on board the Midway.

He added, “Under ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’, you do have a right of association. You are allowed to be with groups where there are known to be other gay people around and that is not supposed to provide any information that could be use as a basis for discharge or inquiry. The military itself would have an enormous black eye if they tried to do anything at this event.”