USA: Air Force Veteran Fired Under DADT Named As Inauguration Citizen Co-Chair

Joe.My.God. reports:

Former Air Force SSgt. David Hall, who was discharged under DADT, has been named a Citizen Co-Chair of President Obama’s second inauguration celebration.  Via press release from OutServe-SLDN, where Hall is now a staffer: 

“This is certainly the honor of a lifetime, and I am grateful to President Obama for his leadership in repealing ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ so that no qualified American who wants to serve this country in uniform will ever again be denied that right simply because they are gay or lesbian,” said Hall. Hall will join the seven others named today in the National Day of Service on Saturday that kicks off the inaugural events over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend. He will attend the swearing-in ceremony Monday and along with the other co-chairs will ride on an inaugural parade float highlighting the inaugural theme of “Our People: Our Future.” Monday evening, he will attend the official inaugural balls.

Hall served in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait before his discharge.

GOP’s Vice-Presidential Nominee Paul Ryan Says Reversing DADT Repeal Would Be “Step In The Wrong Direction”  

The Huffington Post reports:

GOP vice-presidential nominee Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said that the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy should not be reinstated in an interview with West Palm Beach NBC affiliate WPTV that aired on Sunday.
Ryan voted in 2010 — along with most Republicans and several Democrats — against the repeal of the policy that prohibited gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military.
“I talked to a lot of good friends of mine who are combat leaders in the theater, and they just didn’t think the timing of this was right to do this when our troops were in the middle of harm’s way in combat,” said Ryan. “Now that it’s done, we should not reverse it. I think that would be a step in the wrong direction because people have already disclosed themselves.”
“I think this issue is past us. It’s done. And I think we need to move on,” he said.
Romney in December 2011 articulated a similar position. “That’s already occurred. I’m not planning on reversing that at this stage,” he told the Des Moines Registereditorial board. “I was not comfortable making the change during a period of conflict, due to the complicating features of a new program in the middle of two wars going on, but those wars are winding down, and moving in that direction at this stage no longer presents that problem.”

A study by the Palm Center, a research institute devoted to studying the impact of sexual minorities on the military, found no negative consequences on military readiness, unit cohesion, recruitment, retention or morale one year after the policy was repealed.

President Obama On “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” Anniversary

Via press release from the White House: 

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.

Justice Ruth Ginsburg: SCOTUS Will Hear DOMA

The Huffington Post reports:

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said Wednesday that she believes the Defense of Marriage Act will likely go to the U.S. Supreme Court within the next year.
Ginsburg spoke at the University of Colorado in Boulder. She was asked a student-submitted question about the equal-protection clause and whether the nation’s high court would consider it applying to sexual orientation.
Ginsburg said with a smile that she couldn’t answer the question. She said she could not talk about matters that would come to the court, and that the Defense of Marriage Act would probably be up soon.
“I think it’s most likely that we will have that issue before the court toward the end of the current term,” she said.
The 1996 law has been declared unconstitutional by a federal judge in New York and is awaiting arguments before the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Those oral arguments are scheduled for Sept. 27.
The law was passed by Congress and signed by President Bill Clinton after the Hawaii Supreme Court issued a ruling in 1993 making it appear Hawaii might legalize gay marriage.
Since then, many states have banned gay marriage, while eight states have approved it, led by Massachusetts in 2004 and continuing with Connecticut, New York, Iowa, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maryland and Washington state. Maryland and Washington’s laws aren’t yet in effect and might be subject to referendums.
In February 2011, President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder instructed the Department of Justice to no longer defend the Defense of Marriage Act.
Ginsburg’s remarks came at a conference sponsored by the University of Colorado law school. Ginsburg talked mostly about entering the legal profession when there were few female lawyers and even fewer judges.
The students roared with laughter when Ginsburg told of scrambling even to find a women’s restroom in law school at Columbia University in the 1950s.
“We never complained, that’s just the way it was,” she said to laughter from the students.

GOP Rep. Jim Jordan Supports Reinstating DADT If Romney Wins In November

Via Think Progress reports:

A leading House Republican wants to re-instate the military’s former ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy if his party takes control in November.
In an interview with ThinkProgress at the Values Voters Summit on Friday, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) said he “certainly” supports “going back to the previous policy” of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. He left open the possibility that those service-members who have already come out of the closet, like Brig. General Tammy Smith, would be discharged from the military if Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is reinstated.KEYES: Is [Don’t Ask Don’t Tell] something that you think the GOP will pursue reinstating starting in 2013 if they take control?JORDAN: I wasn’t for making the change that was made last few years ago in the lame duck session. I was certainly opposed to that, the change that the Obama administration made. We’ll look at guidance from our military, but I’m certainly supportive of going back to the previous policy.KEYES: What about those service-members who have already announced their sexual orientation? Are they going to get kicked out?JORDAN: That’s a military question. I’d have to think about how that would work in practice.Watch it:

Though first elected in 2006, Jordan is no back-bencher. He chairs the conservative Republican Study Committee, a group of more than 160 Republican congressmen dedicated to pushing conservative causes that wields major influence within the GOP caucus.If Jordan were to ask the military about reinstating DADT as he suggests, he would learn that the Pentagon believes that last year’s repeal was actually beneficial for unit morale, and that none of the concerns expressed by opponents of the decision have come to fruition. In addition, there was considerable support for lifting the ban on openly gay and lesbian people serving in the military from the heads of three of the four branches of the military even before DADT was repealed.

Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee Rep. Buck McKeon (R-CA) has previously indicated that he would not like to see Republicans bring up Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, but his opposition may not be enough to stop Jordan and the Republican Study Committee from reinstating the policy if the GOP prevails in November.

DNC: Don’t Ask Don’t Tell

CALIFORNIA: Military Members Make First Ever Gay Pride Appearance In Full Uniform In San Diego

Joe.My.God. reports:

For the first time since the repeal of DADT, today in San Diego members of the military marched in a gay pride parade in full uniform. Earlier this week the Pentagon, which typically does not allow uniformed personnel to march in civilian events, said that it was making a one-time exceptionfor San Diego Pride.

The loudest cheers from the parade crowd of nearly 200,000 were reserved for them. The U.S. military contingent included about 40 members — some active, some retired. As they assembled in the staging area, countless spectators took pictures of and with them. Most of the active-duty personnel said they were under orders not to give interviews although photos were fine. Sean Sala, 27, who left the Navy last year but helped organize the military group, said the significance of this year’s active-duty uniformed participants is bolstered by government approval for the first time. “I think everybody wants to make it a gay thing, but it’s just an American thing,” he said. “These are people that have laid down their lives for their country, you know, and they deserve recognition for their service regardless of their sexuality.”

It appears that the parade included a proposal!

COLORADO: Openly Gay Cadets Graduate From Air Force Academy

Freedom To Serve, Freedom To Marry: The Story Of Monica & Naomi

Gay Photo Of The Week: Afghanistan Pride Flag At US Base 

SEATTLE: Another Gay Military Homecoming

USA: Gay Marine And His Civilian Boyfriend Talk About Their Famous Kiss 

USA: USMC Homecoming

The couple are Brandon Morgan (the US Marine) and Dalan:

“To everyone who has responded in a positive way. My partner and I want to say thank you. Dalan, the giant in the photo, can’t believe how many shares and likes we have gotten on this. We didn’t do this to get famous,or something like that we did this cause after 3 deployments and four years knowing each other, we finally told each other how we felt. As for the haters, let em hate…to quote Kat Williams, everyone needs haters, so let them hate. We are the happiest we have ever been and as for the whole PDA and kissing slash hugging in uniform…it was a homecoming, if the Sergeants Major, Captains, Majors, and Colonels around us didn’t care…then why do you care what these random people have to say? In summation thank you for your love and support. I received a lot of friend requests off this. I don’t just accept requests so if your request was because of this post message me and let me know. Goodnight all, and Semper Fi.” —Brandon Morgan

OKLAHOMA: State Wants To Turn Back Time On DADT

The Huffington Post reports:

After President Obama repealed the controversial “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy in 2010, many Republicans quickly promised to reinstate it if they won the 2012 election. But an Oklahoma state legislator is making an attempt to turn back the clock even further on gay rights in the military.
The Tulsa World reported on Tuesday that state Rep. Mike Reynolds (R) of Oklahoma City introduced a bill to bar gays and lesbians from the Oklahoma National Guard. Reynolds told the World that the bill was created “in response to requests from members of the Oklahoma National Guard” and would reinstate DADT among the state’s part-time soldiers.
But according to the Human Rights Campaign and The Equality Network, the proposed bill goes even further. “The bill goes beyond the discrimination contained in the now-repealed DADT statute, and allows government officials to directly question someone about their sexual orientation — essentially removing the ‘don’t ask’ component contained in DADT,” the groups said in a joint statement released Tuesday.
Such a move would effectively reinstate the policies that the military abandoned almost 20 years ago. Gays and lesbians were forbidden from serving in the military until 1993, when President Bill Clinton enacted DADT as compromise between gay rights advocates and military leaders. Before then, potential servicemembers were explicitly asked about their sexual orientation as part of the recruiting process and barred from joining if they said they were gay.
Despite the policy change at the federal level, Reynolds claimed that “the state is allowed to set its own standards for service in the National Guard and is not required to duplicate standards for the rest of the U.S. military.” The Oklahoma National Guard declined the World’s requests for comment.
Meanwhile, gay rights groups are lining up to oppose Reynolds. The Human Rights Campaign and The Equality Network set up an online petition to protest the bill, and Toby Jenkins, the executive director of Tulsa-based Oklahomans for Equality, said that his group will press Oklahoma legislators to vote no.

USA: Rabbis Protest DADT At West Point