Tag Archives: gay soldiers

The Military Times reports: A decade after the services first allowed gay and lesbian troops to serve openly, a report from the Joint Staff found that concerns about combat effectiveness and unit cohesion were basically unfounded. That’s the conclusion of a 196-page document published in 2021 by the Joint History and Research Office, recently brought to light by the Palm …

Stars & Stripes reports: The Air Force has affirmed the religious rights of a colonel who claimed he was wrongly disciplined for refusing to sign a certificate of appreciation for the same-sex spouse of one of his airmen last year. The Air Force said that Col. Leland Bohannon “had the right to exercise his sincerely held religious beliefs and did …

And what a kiss it was! The CBC reports: The first kiss for a returning sailor after a long deployment at sea is a sweet and memorable tradition. But in what is believed to be a first for the Royal Canadian Navy, that time-honoured ceremonial kiss was between two men. There were loud cheers today when Master Seaman Francis Legare …

Via USA Today: Spc. Shane Adriano and Pfc. Tristian Resz chose the Greene County Courthouse as a venue because they wanted something small and intimate for their Feb. 11 wedding. It was to be just the happy couple, a few supportive friends and a judge. But after they shared their “first married kiss” photo on Facebook, their small ceremony turned …

Via press release from Lambda Legal: After increasing pressure to follow U.S. Department of Defense guidelines, the Texas Military Forces today allowed Lambda Legal’s client, Alicia Butler the wife of 1st Lt. Judith Chedville to register for federal military benefits at Camp Mabry. “We are thrilled for Alicia and Judith who just wanted to take steps, like all military families, …

From the Louisville Courier-Journal: Despite Kentucky’s ban on gay marriages, Gov. Steve Beshear has decided to allow spouses of gay National Guard members to apply for federal marriage benefits. Kentucky Adjutant General Edward Tonini recommended the state follow Defense Department policy and a U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling, and Beshear affirmed it, said Kerri Richardson, the governor’s spokeswoman. “They’re service members …

The New York Times reports: While a majority of states ban same-sex marriages, most are not fighting the new policy. But Pentagon officials say that in addition to Texas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and West Virginia have balked. Each has cited a conflict with state laws that do not recognize same-sex marriages. (A West Virginia official said, however, that the …

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin (R-Duh) is defying the Pentagon and has ordered local National Guard facilities to deny benefits to married same-sex couples. Fallin spokesman Alex Weintz said the governor was following the wish of Oklahoma voters, who approved a constitutional amendment in 2004 that prohibits giving benefits of marriage to gay couples. “Because of that prohibition, Gov. Fallin’s general …

Openly gay USMC veteran Eric Alva was the first American soldier injured in the Iraq War and anti-gay Christian protesters actually booed him when he spoke yesterday in support of San Antonio’s proposed LGBT rights ordinance. Via the Dallas Voice: At a prayer vigil outside City Hall before the meeting, about 300 people protested the proposed addition to San Antonio’s …

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 …

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 …

Posted yesterday to Upworthy via Hypervocal which notes: “The pro-gay magazine, ONE, first published the letter in 1961 and the original is supposedly preserved in the Library of Congress.”