Tag: DADT

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Some gay servicemembers to have full separation pay reinstated

According to the Windy City Times, some military personnel who had their separation pay cut in half after being discharged for being gay will receive their full pay under a legal settlement announced today.

“There was absolutely no need to subject these service members to a double dose of discrimination by removing them from the armed forces in the first place, and then denying them this small benefit to ease the transition to civilian life,” said Laura Schauer Ives, managing attorney for the ACLU of New Mexico. “This decision represents a long-delayed justice to these veterans.”

The ACLU’s class action lawsuit represented approximately 181 honorably discharged veterans who had their separation pay cut in half because of the discriminatory policy. The total amount of separation pay withheld from those veterans is approximately $2.4 million. The lead plaintiff in the case is Richard Collins, a former staff sergeant in the Air Force who served for nine years until he was discharged under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Collins was stationed at Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico before being seen by a co-worker exchanging a kiss with his boyfriend in their car while stopped at an intersection off-base.

The settlement covers veterans who served at least six years and is retroactive to November 2004. Unfortunately, the statute of limitations prevents payments to those discharged earlier.

(via JMG)

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First Anniversary of the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell

Commemorating the one-year anniversary of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’s official repeal, President Obama said that the end of the discriminatory law has “strengthened” our national security.

A year ago today, we upheld the fundamental American values of fairness and equality by finally and formally repealing ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’ Gay and lesbian Americans now no longer need to hide who they love in order to serve the country they love.

It is a testament to the professionalism of our men and women in uniform that this change was implemented in an orderly manner, preserving unit cohesion, recruitment, retention and military effectiveness. As Commander in Chief, I’ve seen that our national security has been strengthened because we are no longer denied the skills and talents of those patriotic Americans who happen to be gay or lesbian.

The ability of service members to be open and honest about their families and the people they love honors the integrity of the individuals who serve, strengthens the institutions they serve, and is one of the many reasons why our military remains the finest in the world.

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Study: No negative impact on military from repeal of DADT

As the US celebrates the one year anniversary of the repeal of DADT,  a new study shows that the change has had no negative impact on military readiness, morale, or unit cohesion.

Aaron Belkin and his colleagues at the Palm Center conducted extensive interviews over the past six months with retired generals and admirals, anti-repeal activists, active-duty servicemembers, and watchdog organizations on both sides of the issue, in addition to analyzing the experience of several military units and media coverage. Here’s what the study found about the impact of gay, lesbian, and bisexual troops serving openly:

  • Repealing DADT has had no overall negative impact on military readiness, including cohesion, recruitment, retention, assaults, harassment, or morale.
  • Greater openness and honesty post-repeal may have actually increased understanding, respect, and acceptance.
  • Recruitment has remained robust.
  • There has been no increase in violence within units; in fact, many harassment disputes can now be resolved in ways that were not possible when servicemembers could not disclose their sexual orientation.
  • Unit morale was not impacted, except on the individual level depending on a servicemember’s personal position on the issue of DADT.
  • LGB servicemembers did not come out en masse.

Even among staunch opponents of open service, no evidence of negative consequences to repeal could be found. Any concerns that allowing LGB servicemembers to serve openly was some sort of “social experiment” that would encumber military readiness were unfounded.

Via ThinkProgress

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Marines Commandant has seen no problems regarding repeal of DADT

Almost a year after the repeal of DADT, the Commandant of the Marine Corps says that he’s not heard of any problems related to the integration of openly gay and lesbian military.

From the Washington Blade:

“I don’t think there is a problem,” said Commandant Gen. James Amos during a National Press Club luncheon in downtown Washington. “I don’t see it. I don’t hear about it.” [snip] “We obey orders,” said Amos. “We do that better than anybody does and we have.” He again noted that he doesn’t “even get a question” about openly gay and lesbian servicemembers from subordinates and other Marines. “I don’t hear anything,” said Amos. “I’m not seeing anything at all, so I’m very pleased with how it’s turned out. I’m very proud of the Marines.”

You may remember that General Amos had been one of the most vocal opponents of the repeal of DADT.

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BG Tammy Smith becomes first openly gay general

Former Army Colonel Tammy Smith has become the first openly gay flag officer to come out while currently serving in the U.S. military. She was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General in a private ceremony which took place today at the Women’s Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery.

BG Smith received her stars from her wife, Tracey Hepner.

Army Veteran and SLDN Executive Director Aubrey Sarvis praised Smith’s leadership and encouraged others would follow her lead.

“It is indeed a new era in America’s military when our most accomplished leaders are able to recognize who they are and serve the country they love at the same time. Brigadier General Smith made history today – not only as an exemplary service member who renders outstanding service to our nation with integrity and honor – but as a proud lesbian acknowledging the tremendous sacrifice her family makes in order for her to serve and advance. This day was long overdue, but I have no doubt more senior enlisted and officers will follow BG Smith in stepping forward smartly with their spouses and loved ones,” he said.

Smith is assigned as deputy chief in the Army Reserve Office of the Chief in Washington, D.C.

Via press release

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Bill introduced to provide military benefits to same-sex couples

A bill was introduced Thursday that would provide military benefits to the same-sex spouses and children of gay and lesbian members of the armed services.

Now who could argue with that?

Rep. Adam Smith, the ranking Democratic member of the the House Armed Services Committee, introduced the bill, which would require the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments to recognize the legal marriages of gay service members.

The Military Spouses Equal Treatment Act of 2012 would change the definition of “spouse” in four sections of U.S. Code.

Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, praised the proposed legislation in a statement Thursday:

“Our nation’s senior military leaders and commanders on the ground are increasingly uncomfortable with administering two classes of recognition, support, and benefits for our nation’s service members — one of straight service members, and a different for their gay and lesbian peers,” Sarvis said. “There cannot be two classes of service members, and this legislation addresses that effectively.”

The step follows the official repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” in 2011, which has caused the need for several policies to now be updated to be more inclusive of openly gay service members. Speaking at the Pentagon on Tuesday, Department of Defense general counsel Jeh Johnson said the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” has exposed several inequalities between gay and straight service members that must be rectified.

(via the Advocate)

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Mitt Romney on gay rights – 1994

A letter was published today on the internet that came from then-senate candidate Mitt Romney that was written to the Log Cabin Republicans in 1994.

While we’ve all heard about Romney’s flip-flopping, the letter is kind of stunning in it’s clarity of how “then” Mitt Romney supported rights for gays and lesbians – specifically on the issues of gays in the military and ENDA (Employment Non-discrimination Act).

In the letter he promises – if elected – to co-sponsor ENDA and actually broaden the bill to include housing and credit, and the bill to create a federal panel to find ways to reduce gay and lesbian youth suicide.

He goes on to say that, regarding DADT, “it is the first of a number of steps that will ultimately lead to gays and lesbians being able to serve openly and honestly in our nation’s military.  That goal will only be reached when preventing discrimination against gays and lesbians is a mainstream concern, which is a goal we share.”

Where is this Mitt Romney today?  And what – other than political considerations – would change his mind on these subjects?

 Here’s a link to a PDF of the letter.

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Staff Sargeant discharged under DADT reinstated

The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) announced today that U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant Anthony Loverde, who was discharged under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell in 2008, has been reinstated and will return to active duty in May.

Loverde is only the second service member welcomed back to the Armed Forces after the September 2011 repeal of DADT. (Petty Officer Jase Daniels, another SLDN client, was previously reinstated as a linguist in the U.S. Navy.)

Loverde, 31, joined the Air Force at age 20. Before being discharged, he was an expert at calibrating weapons systems and oversaw cargo loads for more than 60 flights into Iraq. “I am honored and humbled to return to the service of my country and the job I love,” Loverde said. “I am grateful to my legal team and all of those in the armed forces who helped to facilitate this reinstatement. I am eager to take the oath and get to work.”

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Military academies begin holding first gay pride events

 

More than six months after official repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” gay pride events at military academies are cropping up, the Associated Press reports:

Cadets in uniform at Norwich University, the nation’s oldest private military academy, participated Monday in sessions about handling bullying and harassment as part of the school’s first gay pride week. The events are believed to be the first of their kind on a military campus.

Until last year, only a select few at Norwich knew of the sexual orientation of Joshua Fontanez, 22, of Browns Mills, N.J., a past president of the student government who quietly laid the groundwork for the school’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning and Allies Club, which held its first meeting the day the law ended.

“The aspects of my sexual orientation, how that played in the military, that was something I was willing to sacrifice, being open versus serving my nation,” Fontanez said. “It’s something I feel I was truly called toward and truly loved, so it’s great that I don’t have necessarily to make that sacrifice.”

Similar groups have formed at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

For many of the newly open student leaders, the changes brought by the end of “don’t ask, don’t tell” haven’t overwhelmed, despite the years-long political wrangling that culminated in the policy change.

“It was definitely a big change, but it happened over such a long period of time for me that it didn’t seem like that big of a deal,” said Coast Guard Academy Senior Chip Hall, 21, of Monterrey, Calif.

The West Point Spectrum, modeled after the Coast Guard organization, is being formed with little fanfare.

“Everyone has been very professional here at the academy,” said West Point Cadet Andrew Fitzsimmons, 19, a sophomore from Algonac, Mich. “It’s been a very positive environment.”