This from The Modern Military Association of America: The voice of the LGBTQ military and veteran community: “Your own actions…do not reflect the action of your words” – A transgender Naval officer had a sharp response to former Secretary Mattis’ recent Wall Street Journal essay. Find out why he found it “well written, true, piercing and full of hypocrisy.” … More LGBTQ Military Updates
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed an Amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to Restore Honor to Service Members Discharged Due to Sexual Orientation The amendment would correct the military records of service members discharged solely due to their sexual orientation to reflect their honorable service and reinstate the benefits they earned. The amendment … More House Passes Amendment to Restore Honor to Service Members Discharged Due to Sexual Orientation
Story Describes New Policy Incorrectly; Wrongly Calls Americans “Divided” on the Issue, Understating Transgender Support SAN FRANCISCO, CA – An NPR story about the Trump transgender military ban which went into effect today described a key element of the policy incorrectly, and failed to use methodologically rigorous polling, resulting in understating the level of American and military … More Palm Center Corrects Misleading NPR Story on Trump Transgender Ban
Flag Officers Cite “Grave Concern” Over Damage to Military Integrity SAN FRANCISCO, CA – More than three dozen retired flag officers released a statement today calling the Trump administration’s use of “military judgment” to defend its transgender troop ban a “pretext [that] risks inflicting harms that go well beyond” the transgender service issue. The military leaders, … More 41 Retired Generals and Admirals Call Trump Transgender Ban an Abuse of Military Judgment
Memo on Today’s Supreme Court Decision to Stay Preliminary Injunctions, Allowing Transgender Military Ban to Go into Effect SAN FRANCISCO, CA– The Palm Center today has released the following memo providing a concise summary of facts on transgender military service and implications of today’s Supreme Court decision suspending a string of preliminary injunctions that had … More Analysis: SCOTUS Allowing Preliminary Injunctions on Transgender Military Ban to Go into Effect
On Two Year Anniversary of Open Transgender Service, Consensus from Military Leadership that Inclusive Policy Works – SAN FRANCISCO, CA– Tomorrow, June 30th marks two years since the U.S. military officially began allowing transgender individuals to serve openly in its ranks. Those service members have compiled a record of distinction and earned consistent support from the highest ranks … More Open Transgender Service: Military Leadership Agree Inclusive Policy Works
Offers Expert Analysis of Meaning of Latest DOD Announcement SAN FRANCISCO, CA – The Palm Center today released the below short memo describing the impact and status of the Trump administration’s ban on transgender service members. “Breaking Down the March 23, 2018 Transgender Military Ban” outlines what the Pentagon and White House released on Friday; explains … More Short Memo on Trump Transgender Military Ban by Palm Center
Imagine an American Commander in Chief turning on American soldiers? That is what Donald Trump did as he sneaks the implementation of his Ban on Transgender people serving in the Military, just yesterday. The White House on Friday announced a policy to ban most transgender people from serving in the US military. Following a Pentagon … More Trump Pence Trans Military Ban is as UnAmerican as a Commander-in-Chief or anyone can get!
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – A Pentagon memo proves that the Justice Department misled a federal court by claiming that the military is unprepared to accept transgender applicants on January 1st. The memo, whose subject is “Transgender Applicant Processing,” consists of a simple set of instructions for processing applications, and was distributed to commanders on December … More Pentagon Document Proves Justice Department Misinformed Federal Court about Transgender Ban
New York, NY- Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund applauds news that a federal court in the District of Columbia has blocked enforcement of the Trump Administration’s transgender military ban. U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly issued a preliminary injunction today. Earlier this month TLDEF filed an amicus or “friend of the court” brief with the federal court in Washington, D.C. … More TLDEF Applauds Federal Court Blocking Enforcement of Trump Admin’s Transgender Military Ban
Yet another Donald Trump Executive Order is failing miserably: CNN is reporting that a federal judge in Washington blocked the Trump administration Monday from enforcing parts of its transgender military ban. Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly held that the plaintiffs: “have established that they will be injured by these directives, due both to the inherent inequality they … More Judge Blocks Trump Transgender Military Ban
TLDEF Files Brief in Support of Transgender Servicemembers Challenging Trump Administration’s Military Ban New York, NY- Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund has filed an amicus or “friend of the court” brief with the United States federal court in Washington, D.C. in support of transgender troops who are challenging the ban on open transgender military service. Last July, … More TLDEF Files Brief Supporting Transgender Servicemembers’ Challenge to Trump Military Ban
Donald Trump on Friday formally ordered the Department of Defense to reverse a 2016 order allowing transgender individuals to serve openly in the military. The formal policy document comes a month after Trump surprised the Pentagon when he announced in a series of July 26 tweets that he would reverse the Obama-era policy change. The … More Trump Levels Unprecedented Attack Against Transgender Troops
Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund Condemns Reported Ban on Transgender Military Health Care and Deployment New York, NY – Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund today responded to reports that the White House is forwarding guidance to military officials that directs Defense Secretary James Mattis to implement policy within six months to cease all … More Reported Ban on Transgender Military Health Care and Deployment Condemned
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – In response to recent news reports that the Defense Department may reinstate “don’t ask, don’t tell” for transgender individuals because of resistance by some military leaders and social conservatives, three retired General Officers issued the following statement urging United States Secretary of Defense James Mattis not to reinstate the discriminatory policy: “Anonymous sources … More Retired Generals Urge Mattis Not to Reinstate ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ for Transgender Troops
Anti-LGBT Record of Trump’s Nominee for Air Force Secretary Seen as Troubling SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Aaron Belkin, director of the Palm Center, released the following statement today regarding President Donald Trump’s nomination of former U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson as Air Force Secretary: “The nomination of former Rep. Heather Wilson as Secretary of the Air Force raises … More Air Force Secretary Nominee Anti LGBT Record
New York, NY – The Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund (TLDEF) today joins advocates across the nation in praising the U.S. Department of Defense for lifting the ban on open transgender military service once and for all. “Effective immediately, service members may no longer be involuntarily separated, discharged or denied reenlistment solely on the … More Pentagon Ends Discriminatory Ban on Open Transgender Military Service
The Pentagon held its fifth annual lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) pride ceremony Wednesday. The Washington Examiner reports, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus called on gay and lesbian veterans who received a less-than-honorable discharge under the old ban on gays serving openly in the military to have their records corrected to reflect they served honorably. … More Navy Secretary Calls on Gays and Lesbian Vets to Have Military Records Corrected
While leading a 1993 United Nations peacekeeping mission in Rwanda, Dellaire became convinced that large-scale ethnic violence was imminent. He warned his superiors and pleaded for additional troops and ammunition, but instead, the U.N. ordered him to withdraw. Dellaire believed that leaving would be immoral, and he stayed in Rwanda with around 500 troops (from the original 2,600) to protect as many people as they could. That decision is credited with saving more than 30,000 lives. Roméo Dallaire will Receive Honorary Doctorate at event which is open to the public
… More U.N. Commander Who Tried to Stop Rwanda’s Genocide to Speak AT USF
Gregg Jaffe at The Washington Post seems to think so…. By Melanie Nathan, September 18, 2015. President Obama will apparently nominate Eric Fanning to lead the United States Army, a move that would make him the first openly gay civilian secretary of one of the military services. While the Washington Post reports that this is … More Was Fanning Chosen by President Obama to Lead the Army Because he is Gay?
A Rose by Any Other Name: On the Subject of Same-sex Marriage and Other Questionable Choices By Jim Wherry, First Posted July 6, 2015 | Written June 26, 2015. Last summer, I moved from Fairbanks, Alaska to Columbus Georgia for a new job. I knew I was saying good-bye for good to arctic temperatures and … More Commentary by a Conservative Gay Man on Historic Southern Same-Sex Marriage
Groundbreaking Resolution Reflects Consensus that Policy is Outdated While Dismissing Military’s Rationale for Transgender Exclusion By Melanie Nathan, June 09, 2015. The American Medical Association (AMA), the nation’s oldest and largest physicians group with nearly 220,000 members, made history today by passing a resolution declaring that “there is no medically valid reason to exclude transgender … More Groundbreaking AMA Resolution No Medically Valid Reason for Military’s Transgender Ban
Posted By Melanie Nathan, May 25, 2015. As the nation commemorates Memorial Day, the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund (TLDEF) honors the transgender men and women who lost their lives in the line of duty and renews its call for the Defense Department to allow transgender people to serve openly in the United States … More TLDEF Memorial Day Push for Pentagon to End Ban on Open Transgender Military Service
Retired General and Flag Officers Call on Military Services to Comply with Recent Department Of Defense Rules Affecting Transgender Personnel Posted by Melanie Nathan, November 26, 2014. Lieutenant General Claudia Kennedy, Major General Vance Coleman, and Rear Admiral Jamie Barnett, issued a joint statement today to accompany a new report showing that the Army, Air … More Generals Call on Military to Comply with DOD Transgender Rules
Palm Center and ACLU Host Convening on Lessons Learned from Transgender Service in Foreign Militaries Posted by Melanie Nathan, October 20, 2014. WASHINGTON, DC – Currently serving transgender service members from five of the 18 foreign militaries that allow transgender service today gathered alongside U.S. service members in Washington D.C. The gathering, Perspectives on Transgender Military Service … More Transgender Troops | Military Experts Historic International Conference
You might be thinking that hearts and minds have transformed. Society might have evolved on gender identity, but not the military’s old guard. By L.S. Kove, May 15, 2014. The Department of Defense (DoD) is different than the rest of the federal government. Not only is it large enough to swallow the rest whole, but … More The Tale of Two Feds | Transgender and The Department of Defense
Things we love to hear about Melanie Nathan, Feb 21, 2014., President Obama will correct a historical act of discrimination next month when he awards the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest commendation for combat valor, to 19 Hispanic, Jewish and African-American veterans overlooked previously because of their racial or ethnic backgrounds. The unusual presentation … More Overlooked Veterans will now be honored by President Obama
“If anything this should be a wake-up call to our President and to Congress to act in like, to go even further. ….our goal of Full Federal Equality” By Jennifer McGuire, September 05, 2013. It was announced yesterday that spouses of Lesbian and Gay veterans will be eligible for benefits. In the recent stream of … More The Importance of the Military in the Struggle for Equality and Another “Duh” Moment
By Cathy Kristofferson, July 31, 2013 Bradley Manning was charged in a 22 count indictment for releasing classified intelligence information to WikiLeaks. Yesterday the judge found Manning innocent of the most serious charge of ‘aiding the enemy’ and just one of the charges of violating the WW1 era Espionage Act. For the remaining 20 charges, … More Bradley Manning now facing 136 years raises questions
National Day of Prayer to be headed by pastor who thinks marriage equality is a Satanic ploy… By Cathy Kristofferson, April 30, 2013 President Obama just, just!, held a press conference where he remarked that “the LGBT community deserves full equality, not just partial equality, not just tolerance, but a recognition that they’re fully a … More Oh no not another anti-gay pastor hosted by President Obama
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