Gauging the effect of the repeal of DADT – one reaction Dear Editor, Your article (Unfriendly Fire: In Afghanistan, unit greets gay Marine with threats to life, by Ian Stokell – Issue 52, Nov. 10) on the persecution being inflicted on the U.S. Marine serving in Afghanistan points up the tragedy implicit in the refusal…
In an ideal world the repeal of DADT would have been enough to right the societal wrongs that had forced gays and lesbians in the military to live clandestine lives, lying about their sexuality for fear of being drummed out of the service if their true feelings were ever revealed; but that wasn’t the case…
WASHINGTON – Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) has filed federal litigation, suing U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, and Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki, on behalf of current and former servicemembers seeking equal recognition, benefits and family support for equal sacrifice and service in the U.S. armed forces. The plaintiffs,…
The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is under fire after a group of married gay military personnel, the Servicemembers Defense Legal Network (SLDN), filed a lawsuit Thursday against the United States government. The lawsuit was filed in Boston at the U.S. District Court where the main argument presents a violation of constitutional rights for same-sex…
Three Marine corporals have been dismissed on bad conduct charges after Marine Corps officials discovered they were each involved in fraudulent marriages. Corporal Ashley Vice, who is a lesbian, and her partner Jaime Murphy, a civilian, married Corporal Jeremiah Griffin and Corporal Joseph Garner in order to collect $1,200 in stipends. Vice, Griffin, and Garner…
A convention for gay military personnel will be hosted for the first time in Las Vegas this weekend after the fall of the military’s discriminatory ‘Don’t ask, Don’t tell’ policy. The convention serves as the nation’s only professional group of gay servicemembers, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Other conventions are taking place nationwide to include…
Dan Choi, a gay veteran of the United States Army, announced Friday he would re-enlist in the service after being discharged under the fallen Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. Choi began the process of re-enlisting in the army in New York on Sept. 22, just two days after the discriminatory military policy was rescinded, CBS…
In his speech at a Human Rights Campaign function, President Obama was applauded when he said, “no one has to live a lie to serve the country they love.” Just weeks after the fall of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, the president expressed strong sentiment in his speech, explaining, “I’m hopeful, I’m fired up, too!” But…
The demise of the military’s discriminatory Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, which was rescinded Sept. 20, has opened up many possibilities for gay servicemembers, including the Pentagon’s decision to allow military chaplains to marry couples in the jurisdiction where they are legal. Friday’s announcement was made via memos from top Pentagon officials, amidst a few…
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is seeking a class action lawsuit for 142 people who were discharged from the military for being gay after only receiving half of their pay. The lawsuit comes amidst the demise of the military’s discriminatory Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) policy. “Your timing is exquisite — two days after…
