Military

President Obama signed into law a $633 billion package of major Pentagon budget legislation on Wednesday that includes a “conscience” provision prohibiting troops for being punished for their beliefs as he maintained the language “will not alter” the rights of gay service members. [ Read more → ]

FORT BRAGG, N.C. -- A meeting lasting more than an hour on Thursday brought no resolution to nearly two weeks of controversy surrounding the denial of Ashley Broadway, the wife of an Army Lieutenant Colonel, for membership in the Association of Bragg Officer’s Spouses. [ Read more → ]

A transgender Army veteran has been named to head the newly combined organization advocating for the interests of LGBT service members. [ Read more → ]

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Donna R. Johnson of the North Carolina Army National Guard was among 14 people killed Monday when a Taliban suicide bomber rammed a motorcycle packed with explosives into a joint U.S.-Afghan patrol in Afghanistan. [ Read more → ]

On Wednesday’s edition of “Focal Point,” Bryan Fischer cited the arrest of a protocol officer at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida for allegedly trying to entice a 17-year-old boy into sexual activity to declare that, thanks to to the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, we can “expect to see more instances of pedophilia now in the United States military.” [ Read more → ]

A year after full DADT repeal, the government still fails to provide equal benefits to lesbian, gay, and bisexual military families, in part due to the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act. And transgender women and men are still barred from serving openly. It’s time for Congress and the Defense Department to take steps to right these wrongs... [ Read more → ]

President Obama issued a statement commemorating the anniversary of the end to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” on Thursday, saying the end to the military’s gay ban “upheld the fundamental American values of fairness and equality.” [ Read more → ]

WASHINGTON -- Two U.S. Senators on Tuesday introduced legislation that would prohibit same-sex unions from being held on military bases. [ Read more → ]

LOS ANGELES -- The first academic study of the effects of repealing “Don't Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) has found that the new policy allowing openly gay service members has had no overall negative impact on military readiness, unit cohesion, recruitment, retention or morale. [ Read more → ]

NEW YORK – Veteran journalist Barbara Walters will emcee a celebration of American troops to mark the one year anniversary of the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the former ban on openly gay service members. [ Read more → ]

WASHINGTON -- The head of the U.S. Marine Corps this week stressed that the integration of openly gay and lesbians into the military has gone smoothly. [ Read more → ]

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Former Army Colonel Tammy Smith has become the first openly gay flag officer to come out while currently serving in the U.S. military. [ Read more → ]

SAN DIEGO -- Any service member of the Marine Corps, Army, Navy, Coast Guard and Air Force can march proudly in uniform in the military contingent at San Diego Pride on Saturday. [ Read more → ]

SAN DIEGO -- Sailors based in San Diego most definitely will be allowed to march in uniform with the military contingent at San Diego Pride on Saturday, a Navy spokesman told San Diego Gay & Lesbian News Wednesday afternoon. [ Read more → ]

SAN DIEGO – Active-duty service members have received official approval to march in their uniforms on July 21 as part of America’s Pride Parade military contingent, San Diego Pride officials said Thursday. [ Read more → ]

A proposed new law would let the Army recognize the spouses of service-members for the first time ever. Anti-gay activists in Maryland collect enough signatures to force a referendum, but now they're tens of thousands of dollars in debt. And seven years after legalizing marriage equality, Spain finally lets gay and lesbian couples into the dictionary. [ Read more → ]

The ranking Democrat on the U.S. House Armed Services Committee has introduced a bill that would exempt the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs from the Defense of Marriage Act, the 1996 federal law that defines marriage as between one man and one woman. [ Read more → ]

WASHINGTON -- Two gay rights advocacy groups that fought to bring about an end to "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the U.S. military's former ban on openly gay service members, announced Monday plans to merge into a single organization. [ Read more → ]

Hey Linda: You’ve been spouting off at the mouth a lot of utter nonsense about how dangerous it is to allow gays in the military. ... Linda, some of the most powerful, victorious, and abundantly brave – breathtakingly heroic actually – armies in history had in their rank and file – and leadership – gay men. ... And now with your ignorance and hate you demean their memory and you scorn those who want to wear a uniform of honor in order to serve this country and risk their very all to do so. How dare you. [ Read more → ]

ARLINGTON, Va. -- In a Pentagon auditorium Tuesday that normally seats 350 persons, a standing room only crowd celebrated as the U.S. Department of Defense marked “LGBT Pride Month” for the first time in its history. [ Read more → ]