Nevada Army National Guard Sgt. Sam Hunt, an electrician with G Company, 2/238th General Support Aviation Battalion poses for a photo on the flight line at the Army Aviation Support Facility in Stead, Nev., May 12, 2017. Hunt is the first openly transgender soldiers of the Nevada National Guard.

FROM SHANNON MINTER
NCLR

This morning, the Supreme Court issued its first rulings in our challenges to the transgender military ban. The Court denied the Trump administration’s request to leapfrog the normal judicial process and hear the cases now. But it also lifted three of the four preliminary court orders preventing Trump from enforcing the ban while the cases continue in the lower courts.

While this is a rapidly evolving situation, here’s the immediate takeaway:

The Court will not hear the cases this term, which is good news. We don’t want the Court to rule on this important issue prematurely, before we have had a chance to build a strong record in the lower courts and present evidence showing that the ban is based on bias, not facts.

For now, the transgender military ban should remain blocked. The Court ruled only on three of the four injunctions in place, but until the government takes action to overturn the fourth injunction, the ban cannot yet be enforced.

Multiple federal courts have recognized that excluding qualified individuals simply because they are transgender is contrary to basic constitutional principles of equality and fairness. I am confident the courts will ultimately protect the integrity of our nation’s military and hold that transgender service members must be evaluated based on the same standards applied to all others, not barred from service based on a characteristic that has no relevance to their fitness to serve.

As a practical matter, of course, the Court’s apparent willingness to greenlight the ban while the cases proceed is a stinging loss for transgender people currently in the military because it strengthens the government’s position that it may be permitted to exclude people from serving. It also creates confusion.

But as we’ve said since we first sued Trump, this case is not just about transgender servicemembers. It’s part of a larger pattern of policies by Trump to deny basic rights to any LGBTQ person in any context, with implications far beyond the armed forces. The military is one of the largest employers in the nation. This ban is about employment discrimination, and as such it could have a ripple effect in every area of life, from immigration to family law to employment and many others.

We will continue to fight, and I will keep you posted as our cases are heard in the lower courts. This is a setback, but a temporary one, and we will not stop fighting until we defeat this harmful and demeaning ban.

Thank you for all you do to support NCLR and the LGBTQ community.

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Attention! “Captain Katie” Robinson is jumping off the screen of her real-life “Call of Duty” adventures in the Army to take the stage with her hilarious comedy routine.

Still wondering if there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq? Only “Captain Katie” knows for sure.

The post ‘Captain Katie’ Robinson: Comedic weapon of mass destruction first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Canadian stand-up comedian Lynda Montgomery talks about why the military is perfect for lesbians. Be forewarned — her set is NSFW.

The post Comedian Lynda Montgomery: Lesbians in the military first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Vicki and Tiffany during the holidays

BY Lesbian.com

Meet Vicki and Tiffany, a couple whose fairytale romance was many years in the making before it bloomed into true love!

She is my best friend, my lover, the person with whom I will be in love forever: My wife, Tiffany S. Wilson.

We met 15 years ago while serving a 1 year military tour in the Republic of Korea. She was from New Orleans and I, from New York. At that time we were both in different relationships and still growing into ourselves as adults. Tiffany was introduced to me by a mutual friend and we may have seen each other a total of 5-6 times while stationed in Korea. I returned to the state of Georgia and Tiffany went to Tennessee where she discontinued her military career. I, Vicki A. Grant, continued to blossom in the military while dealing with relationship after relationship and searching for myself.

Tiffany and I continued to keep in touch. It was not an everyday communication type of relationship, but we shared the little things that happened in our lives. My daughter had a birthday, she gave birth to a son. We went through other romantic relationships, promotions in our jobs, a new house for one of us and other important things that occurred.

Hurricane Katrina  brought Tiffany and her family to Las Vegas and in December 2009, a military temporary duty assignment (TDY) brought me to Las Vegas as well for 4 days. Tiffany and I after years of not having seen each other face to face. Once again, we were both dealing with other relationships. She was with her then girlfriend for 2 years and I was just starting a new relationship chapter. After my trip to Vegas we remained in contact.

The couple having a whole lot of fun!

It was January 2012 when I received a text out the blue from Ms. Wilson asking “how you doing,” the usual question we would ask. I replied with, “I need to call you later.” At that time I was again on another temporary duty assignment (TDY), this time in Arkansas. We spoke that night for hours. We were both single and working on ourselves. The last breakups were hard to deal with. We began talking on the phone every day, coping with the weekend trips, and building a relationship that was strong and pure, we decided it would be best for one of us to relocate. On June 15 2012, I packed up my home, daughter and our dog and moved to Las Vegas, where we now live and hope to love happily ever after. I know it sounds like a fairytale, but this is the best thing that has ever happened to me and we continue to smile and take things one day at a time.

Looking for your real-life love story? OneGoodLove.com is the leading online dating site created specifically for the relationship-minded LGBT community by the LGBT community. We understand how challenging finding love can be so find LOVE now. 

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A Hawaii Democrat introduced on Thursday new legislation in the U.S. Senate that would ensure gay veterans discharged because of their sexual orientation have the designation of “honorable” discharge on their records.

The bill, known as the Restore Honor to Service Members Act, would apply to gay veterans who were in service prior to the lifting of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in 2011, when the U.S. military expelled troops for being openly gay.

Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), the chief sponsor, said “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal was “a watershed moment,” but his bill would address remaining issues for the estimated 114,000 service members expelled because of their sexual orientation since World War II.

Read more at Washington Blade

Washington Blade is America’s leading gay news source.

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BY CAVAN SIECZKOWSKI
Huffington Post Gay Voices

Dayna Morales, a marine and openly lesbian waitress at Gallop Asian Bistro in Bridgewater, N.J., made headlines last week when she posted her encounter with homophobia to the “Have A Gay Day” Facebook page. Instead of leaving a tip on a $93.55 bill, a family of diners ridiculed Morales and scrawled an anti-gay note on the receipt, reading: “I’m sorry but I cannot tip because I don’t agree with your lifestyle & how you live your life.” The story wound up exploding online, and Morales received an influx of messages and donations from around the globe.

Now, Morales wants to help others by giving a portion of the money to the Wounded Warrior Project to help injured servicemen and women, according to NJ.com. Morales’ employer plans to match every donation, according to NJ.com.

If you want to offer your support, donations to Morales for the Wounded Warrior Project can be sent to Gallop Asian Bistro, 793 Route 202, Branchburg, N.J. 08876, or can be delivered in person.

Read more at Huffington Post Gay Voices

The post Lesbian server and marine denied tip to donate to Wounded Warriors Project first appeared on Lesbian.com.

BY CHRIS JOHNSON

Amid celebration for many gay service members on the day that the Pentagon begins to award same-sex spousal benefits, the Texas Military Forces is withholding such benefits for gay troops on the basis that state law prohibits same-sex marriage. Alicia Butler, an Austin, Texas, attorney, said she was rejected when she tried to register with the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System, or DEERS, the military’s health benefits system, when she applied on Tuesday at Camp Mabry, where her spouse, Judith Chedville, a nurse and Iraq war veteran, is stationed as a member of the National Guard.

“The Department of Defense no longer discriminates against same-sex military families and instead embraces them as an important part of the support structure for uniformed members,” Jeremy Johnson, co-chair of the newly formed LGBT military group SPART*A, said. “This announcement by Texas Military Forces makes clear that that they are either unwilling or incapable of doing the same. If that is the case, the Department of Defense must ensure that there is no question about the rights of same-sex military families and their ability to access the benefits to which they are entitled.

Read more at Washington Blade

Washington Blade is America’s leading gay news source

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BY RYAN J. REILLY

WASHINGTON — Gay spouses of military veterans are not able to obtain the benefits given to straight couples even despite the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Defense of Marriage Act, an Obama administration official said in a letter released Tuesday.

“Certain provisions in title 38, United States Code, define ‘spouse’ and ‘surviving spouse’ to refer only to a person of the opposite-sex,”  Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki wrote. “Under these provisions, a same-sex marriage recognized by a State would not confer spousal status for purposes of eligibility of VA benefits. Although the title 38 definition of ‘spouse’ and ‘surviving spouse’ are similar to the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) provision at issue in United States v. Windsor, no court has yet held the title 38 definitions to be unconstitutional.” Attorney General Eric Holder announced last year that the Justice Department would no longer defend Title 38 in court.

Read more at Huffington Post Gay Voices

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One day after a military judge sentenced then-U.S. Army private Bradley Manning to 35 years in prison for leaking classified documents to Wikileaks, the 25-year-old soldier released a statement through her attorney coming out as transgender.

“As I transition into this next phase of my life, I want everyone to know the real me,” Manning said. “I am Chelsea Manning. I am a female.”

Manning’s dramatic announcement was first disclosed on NBC’s “The Today Show” early Thursday morning by her lead defense attorney, David Coombs, who said Chelsea Manning will request from prison authorities permission to undergo hormone therapy.

Read more at Washington Blade

Washington Blade is America’s leading gay news source.

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Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is confirmed to make an appearance at an upcoming Pentagon event observing June as the month for Pride, which has been set for June 25, alongside Senior Adviser to President Valerie Jarrett.

Pentagon Press Secretary George Little confirmed in a statement provided via email to the Washington Blade that Hagel would participate in the event, making him the first defense secretary to take part in a Pentagon Pride celebration. A defense official said Hagel would provide opening remarks to the group in person.

Read more at Washington Blade

Washington Blade is America’s leading gay news source.

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