Pentagon Won't Acknowledge Pride Month
For the first time in six years, the Pentagon did not send out an official memo recognizing LGBTQ Pride Month. This hasn't happened since 2012 after “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was lifted.
When asked why there wasn’t an official memo this year, Pentagon spokeswoman Air Force Maj. Carla Gleason chose not to answer directly.
“The Department of Defense supports diversity of all kinds across our military and we encourage everyone to celebrate the diversity of our total force team,” said Gleason. “We value all members of the DOD total force and recognize their immense contributions to the mission.”
Despite the lack of an official memo, there was a party to honor Pride. That said, that party was only partially supported by members of the Pentagon.
On Monday, there was the DoD Pride event which was hosted by the LGBTQ employee group at the Defense Department. While there were participants at the event, no high-level officials showed up to address the crowd.
In addition, the LGBTQ employee group had to create its own poster for the event because the Defense Department’s Office of Diversity Management and Equal Opportunity’s website did not include a specific post honoring Pride Month.
The Washington Blade reports that a big thing on everyone’s minds was the Trump administration’s insistent push for the ban against transgender service members.
Maj. Jamie Lee Henry, staff internist and a transgender active duty physician at Walter Reed Medical Center, spoke on the struggles that she’s dealt with since the Trump Administration took over.
“I am not a stranger to the dark,” Henry said. “Recent events had me think a lot about experiences that I’ve gone through over the last five years.”
Others added their thoughts on the pushback against trans service members.
“Transgender service members are some of the most resilient service members that you will ever meet,” added Lt. Cmdr. Blake Dremann, who happens to be transgender, “It is a reminder to leaders that we should be doing our best to remove barriers to service.”
“I firmly believe that the right, the privilege and the responsibility to defend our nation should not be denied to any American,” said Rep. Anthony Brown Brown (D-Md). “But throughout our history, it’s been a struggle for the military to accept the service of courageous women, African Americans, gays and lesbians and now of transgender Americans.”
h/t: Washington Blade, Instinct Magazine
