Air Force Academy Graduates First Class That Entered After DADT Repeal

From the Colorado Springs Gazette:

The Air Force Academy class of 2015 is the first to come through four years at the academy with the open acceptance of gays and lesbians in the ranks. Tricia Heller, a 1987 graduate, and Tara Sweeney, a '95 grad, attended the ceremony to support Lydia Hill of Boston. Heller and Sweeney helped found Spectrum, the Air Force Academy gay and lesbian support group, of which Hill was one of the first members. "We all served under 'don't ask, don't tell,' so it was important for all of us to be able to be open about who we are," said Heller, a board member of the Blue Alliance, a support group for cadets. "For us, it's been awesome to watch cadets like Lydia be able to serve openly."

AG Eric Holder Lauds LGBT Triumphs In Goodbye Speech To Justice Department

Attorney General Eric Holder has left the building. But not before a press conference in which he righteously spiked the ball about the LGBT triumphs seen during his tenure. Moments ago the Department Of Justice joined in on Twitter by posting the above photo. Earlier today the DOJ posted the below recap of Holder's life and six years with the Obama administration. When the history books of this time in our movement are written, Eric Holder should have his own chapter. Maybe two.

Log Cabin Republicans Question Hillary Clinton's Support For The LGBT Community

Moments after Hillary Clinton issued yesterday's announcement video, the Log Cabin Republicans fired out the below list of questions.

“With her candidacy formally declared, Mrs. Clinton now has the duty of providing answers to numerous questions that should give LGBT voters and allies pause, regardless of party affiliation,” Log Cabin Republicans National Executive Director Gregory T. Angelo stated. There are questions Mrs. Clinton needs to answer: Does Mrs. Clinton still hold the belief that “marriage had always been a matter left to the states,” as she stated to Terry Gross on NPR, less than a year ago?  If Mrs. Clinton’s position has changed, when did it change? And what is the reason for that flip-flop?  Did Mrs. Clinton support the Federal Defense of Marriage Act, signed into law by her husband President Bill Clinton while she was First Lady? 

Did Mrs. Clinton support the military’s discriminatory “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, signed by her husband while she was First Lady? Does Mrs. Clinton support open service for all LGBT Americans seeking to defend our freedoms?  Given the surge of broad discriminatory so-called “religious freedom” bills emerging across the country, did Mrs. Clinton support the original Religious Freedom Restoration Act signed into law by her husband while she was First Lady upon which this new crop of RFRA legislation is based? Although she was a leader on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act while she was a United States Senator, does Mrs. Clinton support more comprehensive civil rights legislation for LGBT Americans?

Does Mrs. Clinton support full repeal of the Death Tax, the discriminatory tax that prompted the Supreme Court’s historic 2013 Windsor ruling overturning Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act that was signed into law by her husband? Will Mrs. Clinton be as willing to engage with foreign nations guilty of gross human rights abuses against the gay community as she has been with her foundation? "Now that her candidacy is official, we hope Mrs. Clinton answers these questions expeditiously,” Angelo concluded. “The gay left may be willing to make assumptions about Mrs. Clinton’s support for the LGBT community, but Log Cabin Republicans will not.”

Remember that Log Cabin endorsed Mitt Romney, who signed NOM's anti-gay marriage pledge and who opposed the repeal of DADT.

Tony Perkins On Trans Military Service

"Three years into the disaster of open homosexual service, and the Left is already trying to check the next box on its wish list. Of course, we heard the same sound bites in 2011, when the radical Left wanted to throw open the door for homosexuals. Now, deep into the pro-homosexual era, Americans are finally seeing the consequences of that political correctness: sky-high sexual assaults, religious intolerance, record-low morale, and widespread job dissatisfaction. If the administration is interested in letting people serve openly, how about Christians? Or chaplains? While the President has been pulling gays and lesbians out of the closet, he's been shoving men and women of faith in. If this is about pride and tolerance, then it's time to extend that same courtesy to the majority of our service members, who've been living under the administration's dark shadow of religious hostility far too long." - Hate group leader Tony Perkins, responding to news that the Secretary of the Air Force is open to transgender military service.

Dan Choi Enters Politics

Dan Choi, who has largely dropped out of the public eye since the repeal of DADT and his high-profile trial for chaining himself to the White House fence, is entering San Francisco politics. From the bio page of his campaign site:

The injustice of the “Don't Ask, Don’t Tell” policy prompted Dan to take a leading role in protests against the law. Dan soon became the face of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal movement, and an LGBT rights activist. Dan organized and led marches and protests and engaged in a rigorous speaking tour, which included numerous television interviews and lectures at colleges throughout the nation in which he called for the immediate repeal of DADT. Once a court injunction was issued that effectively ended DADT, Dan immediately went to a recruiting station to reenlist in the Army.

Now, Dan has decided to channel his energies towards revitalizing the City College of San Francisco. As a dedicated student throughout his schooling, he has a passion for learning and education. Dan wants to see that all CCSF students have access to an enriching education as to provide them with the tools they need to achieve their goals both inside and outside of the classroom. Aware of the structural and economic issues facing the CCSF educational system, Dan is driven to be a part of the solution.

Choi was discharged from the Army shortly after serving as the grand marshal in San Francisco Pride 2009. DADT was repealed in 2011.

HRC Praises Obama's LGBT Record

DADT, hate crimes, marriage, and much more.

COMPILATION: Gay News In The 2000s

JMG reader Dave Evans has compiled 40 minutes of gay-related news clips that aired in the 2000s. Among the topics: Lawrence V Texas, the Hate Crimes Act, Massachusetts marriage, Proposition 8, DADT, and DOMA.

PREVIOUSLY ON JMG: Compilations of gay news in the 1970s, gay news in the 1980s, gay news in the 1990s, and the first ten years of HIV/AIDS.

COMPILATION: Gay News In The 1990s

JMG reader Dave Evans has compiled an hour of gay-related news reports that aired in the 1990s. Among the topics: ACT UP demonstrations, the Boy Scouts, gay pride marches, the election of Bill Clinton, the enactment of DADT, the enactment of DOMA, and the murder of Matthew Shepard.

PREVIOUSLY ON JMG: Compilations of gay news in the 1970s, gay news in the 1980s, and the first ten years of HIV/AIDS.

Oliver North At CPAC: Fighting Gay Marriage Is Like Fighting Against Slavery

With a slam at the repeal of DADT: "The members of our armed forces and their families deserve better than to be treated like laboratory rats in some social experiment." So says the guy who secretly sold US weaponry to Iran.

Quote Of The Day - Jim Linzey

"Before civilizations crumble, the last thing to hit the fan is government sponsored, government forced homosexuality, sodomy, and pedophilia. Homosexuality is a psychiatric disorder and probably the worst sin described in the Holy Bible due to the permanent damage caused to what was or is or might have been a temple of the Spirit. The consequences are said to be nothing short of eternal damnation, by choice. It's a shame that the US military, historically known to be a beacon of morality and religious tolerance and freedom, while the civilian sector has engaged in immorality, is now having its nose shoved in the dirt of filth to make the Sinners-in-Chief in the highest echelons of politics--the perverts, the pedophiles, and the psychiatrically ill--feel better about themselves." - Former US Army Chaplain Jim Linzey, who today felt the need to to remind us that he is still VERY UPSET about the repeal of DADT. Lizney's message comes via Christian Newswire, which charges $75 to publish press releases of up to 400 words.

RELATED: In 2005 while still on active military duty, God's Personal Messenger Jim Linzey was denounced by the Anti-Defamation League for declaring that international Jewish bankers were conspiring to send Mexicans into the United States to rape white women and turn America into a nation of disgusting interracial families.

"I want Americans, I want everybody listening, to go out and buy 5 weapons and 5,000 bullets - for your own protection, for self defense. Because I believe that foreign soldiers will come to our houses, to rape our wives and teenage daughters and kill the men right in front of them - and then the women will bear children of an ethnic stock different from what they are, and that's how you alter the course of any society; you change the ethnic stock. Of course, see, this whole illegal immigration thing is a ploy. It's done deliberately. It's not done by accident. This is not a matter of `Oh, they're coming over the border because they can't get a job in Mexico.' - NO. The world bankers did the same thing to Mexico that they are now doing to America. That's why they're coming up here. Now they want to make us the same ethnic group through intermarriage, and rape, and killing the Caucasians. Our wives and teenage daughters are going to be raped, our men will be shot in their homes by these aliens who are put up by the Chinese soldiers who do this. There are 5-10 thousand Chinese soldiers in Mexico right now, training Mexicans to do this very thing."

According to Linzey, he was the command chaplain for the Operation Iraqi Freedom troop mobilization prior to the US invasion of Iraq. Praise! Glory!

American Prospect Profiles Dan Choi

American Prospect senior editor Gabriel Arana has published a lengthy profile on Dan Choi, who has largely dropped out of the public eye since the repeal of DADT and his high-profile trial for chaining himself to the White House fence.  An excerpt:

By the time “don’t ask, don’t tell” was abolished, Dan had been interviewed scores of times, appearing in all the major newspapers and news networks (save Fox); spoken at dozens of gay-rights rallies from Wichita to Moscow; lectured at universities from Texas A&M to Harvard; and been named a “brave thinker” by The Atlantic. Now, Dan wakes up most days with nothing to do. After the sun rouses him from his spot on the couch, where he sleeps under his “affirmation quilt”—fan letters are printed on each square—he takes two capsules of Hydroxycut, a diet pill loaded with caffeine, and Wellbutrin, an antidepressant used to treat bipolar disorder. Sometimes he goes for a long bike ride or works out at the gym in his building. He attends fundraisers and art openings, occasionally in uniform. Now and then, he drives to Fire Island, a gay vacation destination off Long Island. He earns a living by giving speeches at $10,000 a pop, which the Gotham Artists agency arranges for him. He smokes pot—a lot of it, he admits. “I can’t tell the difference,” he says, “between being high and not.”

Read the full article.

Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates Named Head Of Boy Scouts USA

Former US Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who championed the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, has been named president of Boy Scouts USA. From their website:

Gates' appointment was made upon the recommendation of national volunteer and professional leaders including the BSA national nominating committee. This move means that upon approval of voting members of the National Council, Gates would begin a two-year term as the BSA national president in May 2014 and lead the National Executive Board, which guides the Boy Scouts of America as it serves approximately 2.6 million youth members. "There is no finer program for preparing American boys for citizenship and leadership than the Boy Scouts of America. As an Eagle Scout, I know firsthand how impactful this program can be and I believe its mission is more important today than ever before," said Gates. "I am honored to take on this role and look forward to working on behalf of the millions of youth and adult members who make Scouting what it is today—an organization providing life-changing opportunities to today's youth."

Gates once hailed the repeal of DADT as a moment for "common sense and common decency." Let's hope he instills some of that ethic with  the Boy Scouts.

Tweet Of The Day - Monica Roberts

Today is the second anniversary of the repeal.

West Point Cadets Attend GLAAD Event

Last night GLAAD held a fundraiser in Manhattan, where the usual coterie of stars from television, movies, fashion, and nightlife worked the red carpet. But the real buzz in the press pit was over the attendance of a group of West Point cadets and their officer handlers. I pulled aside GLAAD's Seth Adam to congratulate him on the nice surprise. Adam said, "Joe, they're here on their own and bought their own tickets!" What a difference a couple of years can make.  In the center rear above is Major Howie Titzel, the head of Spectrum, West Point's gay-straight alliance. In the rear on the left is John Pendergast, who teaches Russian at West Point and is a longtime JMG reader. (I'll have a proper slideshow later today from JMG photographer Dr. Jeff, but this photo is from my little digicam.)

Going Viral On Reddit

Details. (Tipped by JMG reader Ron)

REPORT: Gay US Soldiers In Afghanistan Are Using Craigslist For Hook-Ups

The wingnut-o-sphere is outraged about an Army Times report that gay US soldiers deployed to Afghanistan are using Craigslist to hook up with each other.  Military investigators are busting those caught.

Agents with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service in Afghanistan are tracking service members who are hooking up in the war zone via Internet sites such as Craigslist and busting those who violate the Uniform Code of Military Justice. And in Afghanistan, where commanders haveforbid any sexual encounters between unwed people, virtually anyone who tries to set up a meeting online can become a target of investigators. One Marine lance corporal found that out in 2012, after he posted an advertisement on Craigslist for a sexual rendezvous. The guy he met at Camp Leatherneck, whom he thought was also looking to hook up, turned out to be an undercover agent with the NCIS. Sexual activities in a war zone are as old as wars themselves, but with the advent of Internet personal ads and social media sites, arranging a sexual encounter can become brazen, public and risky. Warnings from commanders, standard guidance for any unit headed to the war zone, appear to have fallen on deaf ears in many cases.

Britain's Daily Mail tabloid has posted lurid screencaps from several of the Craigslist postings.  Here's what could happen to those caught:

Online sex solicitation is technically not a crime under the UCMJ. However, commanders have the right to enact regulations that make it a punishable offense. “Soliciting for sex on community-oriented websites such as Craigslist is not per se a chargeable offense under the Uniform Code of Military Justice,” wrote Erin Stattel, a press officer for International Security Assistance Force headquarters, in response to emailed questions from Marine Corps Times. “However, posting pornographic images on a public web or social media site is a chargeable offense. Excerpt: General Order 1.15.f states ‘creation or display of any pornographic or sexually explicit photograph ... is prohibited.'" Other chargeable offenses under the UCMJ include adultery, prostitution and pandering, which violate General Article 134. But commanders downrange are also prosecuting service members, on a case-by-case basis, under a different section of General Article 134 that bans conduct “to the prejudice of good order and discipline in the armed forces.”

A spokesman for the NCIS refused to say if investigators are entrapping soldiers by posting ads themselves.

Study On Trans Military Service Gets Grant

The Palm Institute has received a $1.3M private grant to study transgender military service. Chris Geidner reports at Buzzfeed:

Indra Lusero, the project director of the Palm Center’s Transgender Military Initiative, has commissioned 16 scholars to conduct 11 studies investigating “whether and how the U.S. armed forces could include transgender troops without undermining readiness”—in areas ranging from privacy and medical accommodations to the experiences of foreign militaries and sports programs.  “This academic research will inform an important public conversation by providing facts and evidence about transgender military service and gender expression in armed forces. Militaries around the world are updating their policies, and we are already conducting research in Canada, Britain and Australia to learn whether their trans-inclusive regulations have impacted readiness,” Lusero said in a statement provided to BuzzFeed.

Geidner notes that the Palm Institute conducted more than a decade of research into the repeal of DADT.

Engaged

The gay Marine whose homecoming kiss went globally viral last year has gotten engaged to his boyfriend.  Via Towleroad, here's the video of Brandon Morgan popping the question. From the clip's description: "The sound is bad, but what I was saying was 'with the repeal of DOMA or not, will you do me the honor of spending your life with me?'"

Perkins: We Were Right About DADT

"President Obama is finally admitting that sexual assault is a serious problem in the military, but what he hasn't conceded is that his policy on homosexuality helped create it. According to a new Pentagon survey, most of the victims were not female (12,000 incidents), but male (14,000), highlighting a growing trend of same-sex assault in our ranks. How could this happen? Well, for starters, the Obama administration ordered military leaders to embrace homosexuality--completely dismissing the concerns that it could be a problem to have people attracted to the same sex, living in close quarters. Groups like FRC were right to be concerned about the overturning of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.'" - Hate group leader Tony Perkins, via press release.

Today On World Net Daily

We haven't heard much from anti-gay crackpot Elaine Donnelly since the repeal of DADT, but today she appears on World Net Daily to gleefully join in on wingnut claims that gay rapists are running rampant in the military.

Among the assaults formally reported, 88 percent of reports came from women and 12 percent from men. The numbers are getting dramatically worse. “The number of reports of sexual assaults among military personnel have actually increased by 129 percent since 2004,” said Center for Military Readiness President Elaine Donnelly, who pointed out the number of formal reports of sexual assault jumped from 1,275 to 2,949 in just eight years.

She told WND when factoring in civilians working for or around the military, the increase in that time is 98 percent. Women are identified as the attacker in just two percent of all assaults, meaning most men who suffer assault are targeted by other men. “So we’ve got a male-on-male problem here. The Department of Defense doesn’t want to comment on this. They know that the numbers are there. They say that they care, but all the attention is usually given to the female members of the military who are subjected to sexual assault,” Donnelly said.

WND fails to mention that the military recently launched a campaign that encourages the victims of sexual assault to come forward, hence the rise in reported incidents.  And even their own article fails to live up to their bombastic headline.