LGBTQ news and entertainment
In this episode of The Randy Report podcast, I highly recommend the newly-released Season 3 of Netflix’s acclaimed coming-of-age series, Heartstopper. Plus… Continue reading “Podcast: ‘Heartstopper’ Season 3 + Honorable Discharges For DADT Military + More News”
President Joe Biden has issued pardons to LGBTQ service members who were previously discharged for their sexual orientation or gender identity under discriminatory military policies, including “don’t ask, don’t tell.” “Today, I am righting a historic wrong by using my clemency authority to pardon many former service members who were convicted simply for being themselves,” Biden said in a statement issued by the White House. Continue reading “Biden Pardons All Veterans Discharged/Convicted For Being LGBTQ”
Some news items you might have missed: • Outsports: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell (whose brother is gay) says his support of the LGBTQ community and gay athletes isn’t going away. “I’ve made clear that if any member of the NFL family comes out, we will have their back.” Continue reading “NFL Commissioner On Players Coming Out + More News”
The Defense Department announced on Wednesday, the 12th anniversary of the repeal of its hideous “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, that it will begin proactively reviewing cases involving LGBTQ veterans who were discharged under DADT. Continue reading “Defense Dept To Begin Proactively Restoring Honorable Discharges To LGBTQ Veterans”
(image via Prime Video)
Several LGBTQ veterans who received less than honorable discharges due to their sexual orientation during the U.S. military’s “don’t ask don’t tell” policy are suing the Defense Department. The group says in its lawsuit that their constitutional rights were violated when the government failed to update them to honorable discharges when the discriminatory policy was repealed in 2010. Continue reading “LGBTQ Veterans Sue To Update ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ Discharges”
Did you know today is International Podcast Day? I know a great way to celebrate – with a fresh, new episode of The Randy Report podcast! Continue reading “Podcast: The Tony Awards Return, A History-Making Homecoming & More”
As LGBTQ advocates acknowledged the 10th anniversary of the repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” the Department of Veterans Affairs announced those service members who were forced out under the homophobic policy can receive full benefits. Continue reading “LGBTQ Military Veterans Discharged Under DADT To Receive Full Benefits”
President Joe Biden has issued a statement honoring LGBTQ military service members on the 10th anniversary of the repeal of the anti-LGBTQ policy, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Continue reading “Biden Honors LGBTQ Military On 10th Anniversary of DADT Repeal”
Speaking to The Atlantic, President Obama notes some of the difficulties in trying to get things done as president:
There have been times where, let’s say on LGBT issues, when we were trying to end Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and I got the Pentagon and Bob Gates, a Republican holdover from the Bush administration, to authorize a study of how you might end Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, headed up by Jeh Johnson, who at that time was a council to the Justice Department. And it was going to take a year to conduct that study, issue a report, and figure out how it might be implemented, what effect it would have on unit cohesion and military effectiveness.
And I had laid out this strategy because if I could get the Pentagon’s imprimatur on this thing, then I knew that we could end up getting legislation passed to reverse the policy, and we could get the branches of all the military to implement it.
But during the course of that year, probably every speech I gave, I’d have gay activists just screaming at me during rallies. And you just say, ‘Come on, man. Not only do I agree with you, but I’ve actually got a strategy to execute, we are executing it, and in what sense do you think that you yelling at me here is going to advance your cause?’”