In conjunction with the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, President Obama signed a historic document Friday certifying the U.S. military’s readiness to move forward with implementation of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ repeal. “Today, we have taken the final major step toward ending the discriminatory ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’…
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision Wednesday ordering the government to put an immediate end to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the 17-year-old ban that has kept gay and lesbian service members from serving openly in the U.S. armed forces. According to the courts, the DADT policy must be lifted in light…
President Barack Obama has appointed the first openly gay individual to the United States Military Academy Board of Visitors, an act that underlines the imminent dissolution of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy banning gays and lesbians from open military service. The historic appointment of Army veteran Brenda S. “Sue” Fulton to the West Point…
OutServe, an association of active LGBT military service members, will hold the first annual OutServe Armed Forces Leadership Summit this fall in Las Vegas, Nevada. The summit meeting, which will take place October 13-16 at the New York-New York Hotel and Casino, is intended to give LGBT military personnel a forum within which to discuss…
R. Clarke Cooper, the executive director of the National Log Cabin Republicans, sent a letter yesterday to Representative Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) requesting that Hunter halt plans to introduce a potentially disruptive amendment to ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’ The Washington Blade reports that Hunter announced his intention Monday to introduce an amendment to the 2012 fiscal…
Pending the Department of Defense’s final motion to recognize gay military service men and women, Navy officials will be trained to officiate over same-sex civil ceremonies. The announcement, made by Navy officials this past Monday, stated that training protocols related to the repeal of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ have been updated to include guidelines for…
At military bases across the nation, servicemen are undergoing special training to prepare for the final end to the 17-year-old “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy against gay and lesbian individuals serving openly in the military. From Washington D.C. to San Diego’s own Camp Pendleton, members of the Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force are being…
The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) recognized pro-LGBT pop sensation Lady Gaga at their annual dinner Monday night in Washington D.C. Gaga received the Randy Shilts Visibility Award as a result of her vocal opposition to the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy – a protest firmly in keeping with the SLDN’s goals and interests. Although…
A group of thirteen activists will appear in federal court on Friday in response to charges filed against them during a “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” protest held in November of last year. Members of the group, which includes gay rights advocates, a Catholic priest and gay and lesbian veterans banned from military service under the…
From Facebook to tabloids to TV news, the media is abuzz with updates on Charlie Sheen’s high-profile meltdown. But while Sheen earns airtime for his antics, one Facebook user argues, fallen soldiers and their sacrifices go unsung. A recent status update posted by an unknown Facebook user offers this sober reminder: “Charlie Sheen is all…
