Three hours after this unit entered Iraq, they stopped to rest. And as one man, stepped out of the vehicle, he triggered a landmine. The resulting explosion sent him flying 15 feet away form his vehicle causing him to his left leg, his right arm, and severely damage his right leg that would later be amputated.
This Marine was the very first American who was wounded in Operation Iraqi Freedom. This Marine was the very first American to receive the purple heart during this campaign. And this Marine was a gay American.

This Marine’s name is Sergeant Eric Alva. Eric was born in San Antonio Texas. Sergeant Alva is a gay American. In the weeks and months following his retirement, Sergeant Alva became one of America’s leading voices on efforts to Repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. Sergeant Alva, like many gay Americans was willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice for a country that acted like the relationships of many like him did not even exist. Today, we are proud to commemorate the official repeal of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Policy.

As the son of a retired Air Force Officer, I know first hand how difficult it can be to wonder if your parents will return home. But my father always taught me, that he loved his Country and the freedoms we enjoy.

I am thankful to men and women like my dad who served their country. I am grateful to many LGBT Americans who risked their reputations to fight for the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.

Perhaps most of all, I am proud that I live in a Country that every single day is working to “secure the blessings of liberty.” No longer will LGBT men and women who like their fellow citizens seek public service by joining our nation’s military will they have to live in fear of who they are.

Today marks a day of victory, and also one where we are likewise mindful of the challenges that still lie ahead, but hopeful that equality for all is within our grasp!

In Equality,

Jeff Riles
Chair, LGBT Caucus
Young Democrats of Oklahoma

As Chair of the Young Democrats of Oklahoma High School Caucus and Parliamentarian of the Young Democrats of America High School Caucus, I belong to an organization that represents a group of young people who have only known war. Many of our members have no recollection of 9/11. The questions that are asked, “What were you doing that morning?” and “What did you feel that day?” are easily wasted on us. Our feelings and memories of this event are produced through the point of view of those older than us.

America is a different place. Yet, it is not a place unfamiliar to our generation. We are currently engaged in the two longest wars in America’s history. This is all we know. Our generation has also been tagged as apathetic and uninvolved. We have seen in times of war the youth have been an energized movement for patriotism or peace. The youth of World Wars, Vietnam, and Korea played active roles in the nation’s discourse. We still have that power. I believe that we need to know peace and we will see it soon.

The Young Democrats of Oklahoma High School Caucus remains committed to the pursuit of peace. We are the children and siblings of our world’s finest military. If we come together and raise our voices, we can make waves. The events of 9/11 have shaped our generation’s worldview and will never be forgotten.

Respectfully,
Aaron Wilder
Parliamentarian
High School Caucus

Let me share two great highlights:

• At Oklahoma City’s Annual Pride celebration, we were excited to sign up over 20 new voters and add even more to our membership and email rosters. We are excited to welcome many new young Oklahomans towards our efforts of supporting great candidates and causes in the coming year!

• The LGBT Caucus also started its first “Equally Oklahoman” leadership reception. At this inaugural event, we were honored to celebrate the work of three fantastic state legislators: Rep. Emily Virgin, Rep. Al McAffrey, and Senator Andrew Rice. All three of these legislators have been champions for all Oklahomans during the 2011 legislative session. This should come as no surprise, because each of these great people exemplifies the best of Oklahoma. Our caucus was so thrilled to honor them with the “Equally Oklahoman” award. We owe a great debt of gratitude to some of our biggest supports: Richard Ogden and Mike McLain. Richard and Mike opened their beautiful home for this fantastic reception.

We are also so thankful for so many of our like-minded organizations that have helped support us already this summer:

The Cimarron Alliance Foundation
The Equality Network
The Victory Fund

As we gear up for the Fall, we have wonderful things planned on the horizon focused on our theme: “Equally Oklahoman.”

We are committed to supporting candidates, causes, and people who in their public lives support creating a more equal Oklahoma.

In Service,

Jeff Riles
LGBT Caucus Chair

For more information, check out our Facebook Page or follow us on Twitter!

This is a great victory for women all over America. DHHS also mandated that breast pumps for nursing mother, annual physicals, screening for the human papilloma virus, screening for diabetes during pregnancy, and counseling on domestic violence. These new requirements are set to take place on January 1, 2013. The Institute of Medicine recognizes birth control as a preventative medicine. Under the Affordable Care Act, birth control will come at no cost to women.

This is a giant leap forward. Birth control can be expensive. At Planned Parenthood, the most common prescription costs $25 per 28-day pack. For example, Blue Cross Blue Shield Federal covers $15 of that cost, but that still leaves $130 per year that must be covered out-of-pocket. Under the Affordable Care Act, insurance companies will pay for birth control and other services.

We applaud the efforts of the Obama administration, Planned Parenthood, NOW, and NARAL for their continued effort to bring accessible, affordable health care to all women.

Madi Alexander
YDO Women’s Caucus Vice Chair
madi.alexander@gmail.com

According to CNN Money, subsidized loans will not be available to graduate students after July 1, 2012. Over the next ten years, this change will take over $21.6 billion from grad students. Of that almost $22 billion, $17 billion will be used to fund Pell grants. The Pell grant gives a maximum of $5,550 per year to over 8 million undergraduate students.

As an undergraduate student relying on federal aid to fund my education, I am pleased that the Pell grant will not substantially be reduced. However, as a Democrat and future graduate student, I am infuriated that the financial irresponsibility of the government has fallen on the backs of students.

I receive the maximum Pell grant, in addition to a supplemental grant from the federal government. Half my tuition is paid for by federal and state grants. A merit-based tuition waiver pays for the other half from Oklahoma City University. I was overjoyed that my undergraduate financial aid would not be reduced in the near future. However, many graduate students will not be so lucky.

One of my good friends, Andrew, was recently accepted to the City University of New York School of Law. Tuition at CUNY for out-of-state students in the 2011-2012 school year will be $9,790. This year, Andrew is eligible for the maximum amount of $8,500 in subsidized loans from the federal government, in addition to unsubsidized loans. Starting July 1, 2012, Andrew will be forced to take out unsubsidized for the remainder of his career in law school. At a fixed interest rate of 6.8%, this is a huge burden.

This colossal increase in the strain placed on graduate students is not progress. This is not a step towards improving the education system. No one can justify placing this country’s financial burden on students. The young people in this country are the future and I firmly believe that while this looming debt crisis needed to be solved, placing the burden on students is wrong and unjustifiable. Even though this measure has been taken in order to assure that students like me will be able to finish their undergraduate studies, I cannot comprehend why Congress would decide to place this financial difficulty on the future of our country.

Madi Alexander
YDO Communications Director
madi.alexander@gmail.com

We regretfully announce that Brittany Novotny has resigned her position as YDO President for personal reasons. Brittany has been a vital member of the Young Democrats of Oklahoma. She continues to inspire us with her dedication and passion for politics in Oklahoma. We thank Brittany for her hard work and service.

Per the Constitution, Noah Peña, the Executive Vice President, is now the president. Noah has accepted this position and is now the Young Democrats of Oklahoma President. Cassi Peters has been appointed to the position of Executive Vice President by the Board of Directors. We are working to ensure that this transition occurs smoothly and without difficulty.

Please contact us with any questions or comments.

Thank you for your patience,

Madi Alexander
YDO Comunications Directors
madi.alexander@gmail.com

When I first started going to YDO meetings in 2008, I had no idea where my involvement would lead me. I was 28 years old and just starting my own law practice. I knew that I wanted to be more involved in Oklahoma politics and have a voice in the process.

At first, I didn’t know a lot of folks in the Oklahoma political sphere. I grew up in Oklahoma City, but I had moved away to California for law school, so I did not get a chance to make a lot of connections during those years. If not for YDO, I’m not sure how I would have been able to network with young campaign professionals and our legislative leaders.

Now it’s 2011, and the task of leading this great organization is mine. We’ll be bringing 20 or more Young Oklahoma Democrats to the YDA National Convention in Louisville in just two weeks to build friendships, network, and get the best campaign training sessions available from the best Democratic campaigners around the country.

You can help ensure that these young folks get there and that when we return we are fired up and ready to win some elections for Democrats all over Oklahoma. Some of us may run for office, some of us may be campaign managers and other professionals that help our candidates up and down the ballot. Regardless of what role we each play, I guarantee that this group of young people will be making a splash and helping us build a bench of great candidates and campaign professionals.

Can you contribute $25, $50, or $100 today to help YDO keep building Blue Roots in our Oklahoma Red Dirt? Your contribution is an investment in Oklahoma’s future, and the best way to push back against the Oklahoma GOP’s agenda—which threatens to steal our future away from us. Help us fight back and win the future!

Democratically yours,
Brittany Novotny, President
Young Democrats of Oklahoma

The YDA National Convention is right around the corner, taking place in Louisville, Kentucky from July 27 to July 30.  YDO is allowed 30 delegates to the National Convention, where we’ll be voting on YDA leadership for the next two years, as well as putting together our strategy to build those blue roots and win some elections in 2012!

I attended my first YDA National Convention in Chicago just two years ago.  It was my experience there, with 30 great YD’s from Oklahoma, as well as hundreds of other YD’s from all over the country that helped propel me to run my legislative race in 2010.  While in Chicago, the YDA Women’s Caucus had a breakfast event with special guest, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL).  Rep. Schakowsky was such an inspiration and encouraged us young women to believe in ourselves and to start running for office.  I took her words to heart, and came back home ready to go.

If you haven’t been to a national YDA conference or Convention, then you won’t want to miss this amazing opportunity.  If you’re interested in becoming an Oklahoma delegate at the YDA Convention, please fill out this form and submit your $65 deposit to hold your spot.  We will be chartering a bus to travel from Oklahoma City to Louisville as a delegation, and we are raising money to help cover the costs of travel and lodging for our delegation.  If you can help with our fundraising efforts, please contact Lindsay Green, Administrative Assistant, to get materials to help you raise money from your family and friends.

Also, YDO will have a booth and parade entry at OKC Pride, June 25 and 26.  If you can help staff the booth or wish to walk in the parade, please contact the YDO LGBT Caucus.

In the last few weeks, I’ve been busy meeting with potential candidates for 2012, spoke to the Eastern Oklahoma County Democrats as the keynote speaker for their June meeting, and I’ve been contacting potential donors about the upcoming YDA Convention.  We’re proud that our own Kenneth Meador (age 30 from Moore, OK) is officially now the Democratic nominee for the open seat in Senate District 43.  We’ll be letting you know about ways you can get involved with Kenny’s campaign to help make that seat a Democratic seat once again.  Make sure to follow our Facebook page for updates.

If you’re a chapter or caucus leader, your priorities should be: 1) recruiting delegates and raising funds for the YDA National Convention, 2) holding fun gatherings (pizza, drinks, bowling, etc.) with fellow Young Dems and keeping track of who is showing up, and 3) being visible and involved in your own communities.

Thanks for staying involved, and let’s make sure we’re doing all we can to win the future!

Sincerely,

Brittany Novotny, President

Young Democrats of Oklahoma

In Oklahoma, winning the future started with our 2011 State Convention of the Young Democrats of Oklahoma in Norman on April 9.  Over 50 young, engaged leaders from all over Oklahoma met to elect leadership, network with other young Democrats, and to get more informed about the Oklahoma political process from fellow YD’s who serve in the legislature—Rep. Emily Virgin (D-Norman) and Rep. Cory Williams (D-Stillwater).  These two young Democrats have made a big splash in the legislature in their short tenures.  They shared how they’ve been able to be effective legislators, even as members of a party that is at a significant disadvantage right now.

One thing is for sure, we as Democrats aren’t giving up, and we know that for all Oklahomans to have the best future possible, we must elect more Democratic legislators that will stand up for all Oklahomans with real solutions to our economic situation.  For some of us, that means learning how to become candidates, for others it means learning how to run the day to day business of a campaign, for others it means being proud to let your friends know that you are a Democrat and being ready to knock on doors and make some phone calls when called upon.

We have a great new leadership team in place for 2011, as we prepare to get 30 or so YD’s from Oklahoma to Louisville for the Young Democrats of America National Convention at the end of July and to raise money so that we can offer you the best events to suit your level of involvement as a Young Democrat in Oklahoma.

We’ve already hit the ground running, and I want to make sure you all know that myself and Noah Peña will be your voice at the Oklahoma Democratic Party State Convention on May 14 in Oklahoma City—unless you have been chosen as a delegate through another Democratic organization.  So if you have anything you would like us to submit to the State Convention, make sure to let us know!

Finally, I hope you’ll consider giving $5, $10, or even $50 now to give us a leg up on fundraising for the trip to Louisville.  The plan for the trip is that YDO will cover the cost of chartering a bus for all of our delegates, as well as hotel rooms and registration fees.  That means we’ll need not only your investment, no matter how large or small, but also any help you can provide in finding more donors.  In the coming weeks, we’ll be sending you a template fundraising email that you can personalize for your own networking lists.

Thank you for paying attention and staying involved.  Let’s win the future by building our blue roots in our red dirt!

Democratically yours,

Brittany M. Novotny, President

Young Democrats of Oklahoma

P.S. – I almost forgot, our new Communications Director, Madi Alexander, is working on a new website for us, and if you need to schedule a time to meet with me or talk to me, please contact my Chief of Staff, Anna Langthorn.