Military

This year, while several individuals who were outspoken in their support for LGBTQ rights, there was one quiet and unassuming figure, who stood out for his forceful, determined and unwavering support of gay and lesbian persons being able to proudly wear the uniform of the United States Armed Forces of the United States -- Admiral Mike Mullen, LGBT Nation's choice for Ally of the Year. [ Read more → ]

American Family Association spokesman Bryan Fischer said on Focal Point Monday that gays and lesbians could endanger the military and represent a risk to the country’s security because of mental health problems in the gay community. [ Read more → ]

DECORAH, Iowa -- At a campaign stop in Iowa on Sunday, Texas Governor and GOP presidential hopeful Rick Perry found himself explaining to a 14-year-old girl -- who later told reporters she was bisexual -- why he opposed gays serving openly in the military. [ Read more → ]

WASHINGTON -- Lawmakers on Capitol Hill unveiled on Monday an agreement on major defense budget legislation that omits anti-gay provisions found in the House version of the legislation — including language that would have prohibited military chaplains and facilities from being involved in same-sex marriage ceremonies. [ Read more → ]

A gay sailor who holds the distinction of being discharged twice under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was readmitted to the armed forces — and may be the first gay person to re-enlist as an active duty service member since repeal of the military’s gay ban. [ Read more → ]

House and Senate lawmakers are set to hammer out a final version of major annual defense policy legislation to send to President Obama — and the ability of military chaplains to officiate over same-sex weddings will be part of the discussion. [ Read more → ]

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Senate on Thursday passed the National Defense Authorization Act, which included a three-sentence instruction on page 147 of the 665-page bill, which would repeal Article 125 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), which currently prohibits troops from engaging in consensual sodomy. [ Read more → ]

We're counting down to the next ruling in the Prop 8 case. A Republican-backed bill in New Hampshire would replace marriage with civil unions for everyone -- including siblings. Get ready for a showdown on the Defense of Marriage Act, and things are heating up in Ohio. [ Read more → ]

WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon on Friday identified a total of 14 benefits where members may designate beneficiaries of their choosing, regardless of sexual orientation, but the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) said the announcement does nothing "to move the ball forward" in providing equal benefits for legally married gay and lesbian couples. [ Read more → ]

Service Members Legal Defense Network on Thursday launched a federal lawsuit in U. S. District Court in Boston on behalf of current and former service members seeking equal recognition, benefits and family support for equal sacrifice and service in the U.S. Armed Forces. [ Read more → ]

The New Hampshire National Guard on Wednesday reversed an earlier ruling that a gay Guardsman could not bring her spouse to an upcoming National Guard event, just one day after U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) contacted Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, asking him to intervene. [ Read more → ]

Servicemembers Legal Defense Network said it will file a lawsuit in federal court challenging the constitutionality of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), seeking military benefits for legally married same-sex couples that are currently available to their heterosexual counterparts. [ Read more → ]

OutServe, nation's only professional association for actively serving gay an lesbian military personnel, is holding its first annual "OutServe Armed Forces Leadership Summit" in Las Vegas this weekend, aimed at enhancing "military readiness through encouraging an environment of respect with regard to sexual orientation and gender identity" [ Read more → ]

Nearly 2,000 members of the military-affiliated Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty (CARL) have pledged not to perform same-sex "wedding" ceremonies under any circumstances, despite a recent Pentagon directive that authorizes chaplains to perform same-sex wedding ceremonies, and military chapels to be used for "any private ceremony." [ Read more → ]

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon, (R-Calif.) said he will oppose passage of the annual defense authorization bill unless it contains language prohibiting military chaplains from performing same-sex unions, and a provision that would ban terrorism suspects from getting civilian trials in federal courts. [ Read more → ]

Lt. Dan Choi is a West Point graduate, Iraq War veteran and Arabic linguist. He was the nation’s leading activist for the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT). [ Read more → ]

GOP presidential long-shot Rick Santorum on Friday told attendees at the Values Voter Summit that a vibrant economy is dependent on traditional marriage, and that President Obama has ordered military chaplains to "break the law" by requiring them to perform same-sex weddings. [ Read more → ]

During his remarks Friday to a large gathering of U. S. political and military leaders, invited guests, and service members, President Barack Obama acknowledged the services rendered to the nation and its citizens by the outgoing Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Michael Mullen, whose retirement ceremony marked the end of a distinguished forty-three year career in the U.S. Navy. [ Read more → ]

The U.S. Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals has sided, in part, with a U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant who wore parts of his uniform while appearing in gay porn videos. [ Read more → ]

With the exception of Herman Cain, the GOP presidential candidates were mostly quiet on Sunday following a scathing rebuke from President Barack Obama on Saturday evening for not coming to the defense of a gay soldier after audience members booed him during a recent Republican debate. [ Read more → ]