Perkins Coie Presents An Evening With Major Margaret Witt

SEATTLE (June 23, 2011) – Perkins Coie is hosting an evening with Major Margaret Witt, plaintiff in landmark "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" case, Thursday, June 23 at 5:30 p.m. at the Seattle office located at, 1201 Third Avenue, Suite 4800. The event is free and open to the public.

The event is brought together by Perkins Coie and QLaw, the GLBT Bar Association of Washington. The evening will be a celebration of Seattle Gay Pride with members of the GLBT, legal and business communities, and friends and allies in attendance. The night will begin with remarks from Major Witt, followed by a short video presentation and end with a short question and answer portion.

"It has been an historic year for GLBT rights," says Debra Bernard, Chair of the GLBT Affinity Group at Perkins Coie, "we are very excited to celebrate those milestone achievements and look forward to the coming year."

Major Margaret Witt, a decorated U.S. Air Force flight nurse, was discharged under the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in 2007. In September 2010, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington ordered the Air Force to reinstate Major Witt, finding that Witt’s sexual orientation does not negatively impact unit cohesion or morale. This heightened inquiry is now known as the Witt Standard, and her historic case was instrumental in the path to repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell."

Perkins Coie attorneys make an effort to support causes and organizations that advance the rights of diverse people in the community, including those who are GLBT. Our attorneys have been involved in several advocacy cases on behalf of organizations that advocate for GLBT civil rights. Most recently, attorneys in the San Francisco office filed an amicus brief on behalf of over forty organizations in opposition to the Proponents of Proposition 8's Motion to Vacate Judge Walker's judgment in the Proposition 8 case primarily on the basis that he was in a same-sex relationship and, therefore, could not be impartial. On June 14, 2011, the Motion to Vacate was denied.