With the U.S. war and occupation on Iraq and its killing of over 655,000 Iraqis and over 3,300 Americans, today's leader of the military, General Peter Pace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, deserves protest every bit as much as Westmoreland did.

To add insult to injury, General Pace is an outspoken homophobe. Shortly before the 4th anniversary of the Iraq invasion, he gave a lengthy interview with the Chicago Tribune in which he justified the ban on gays and lesbians in the military by calling us "immoral." The employment ban on gays is every bit as immoral as the segregation of African Americans in the military two generations ago and like segregation, legitimizes discrimination in society at large.

We invite you and your organization to endorse a protest against a Friday, May 18th visit by General Pace to Chicago. Pace will be the keynote speaker at the annual Management Conference (irony noted) sponsored by the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business. He'll be speaking at 11 AM at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, 151 W. Wacker.

To have your group listed as an endorser of the protest, please send an email to LGBTliberation (at) aol.com with the following information:

* Your group's name

* Your telephone number

* Your group's general email address if it is different from your email address

* Your group's website

For more information on the protest, email LGBTliberation (at) aol.com or phone 773.209.1187.

Current endorsers are: 8th Day Center for Justice, Access Living, ANSWER Chicago, Chicago Area CodePINK, Chicago Coalition Against War & Racism, Chicago Socialist Party, Chicagoland Pride at Work, Fox Valley Citizens for Peace and Justice, Gay Liberation Network, Hammerhard MediaWorks, International Solidarity Movement-Chicago chapter, Just Foreign Policy, National Lawyers Guild: Chicago chapter, North Shore Coalition for Peace and Justice, Party for Socialism and Liberation, Sankofa Way Spiritual Services, Inc., University of Chicago Queers & Associates, and World Can't Wait.