MEUSA Thanks the More than One Million LGBT Service Members and Veterans For Their Service
By MEUSA Military/Veteran Community Liaison Ty Redhouse
Our nation’s LGBT veterans and service members have witnessed much progress in the past year. From the magnificent shift to a post-DADT world to the downfall of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), attention has focused on our men and women presently serving in the Armed Forces. What many in the media overlook are those who have served and who are LGBT.
Following the mainstream press, one could easily conclude there are not many of us out there. If this is the assumption, it is incorrect. In fact, there are more than one million LGBT veterans in the United States and that number keeps growing. It is those individuals who fall through the cracks when the push for equality is highlighted, particularly in the scope of marriage equality.
This historic Veterans Day marks the first time we do not have “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) and the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), both of which severely hindered the progress of American society. In 2011, we saw DADT pass out of the ranks of the military with little to no homage to the fearful predictions of the conservative pundits. There was no mass exodus and our nation’s military continued on in its mission. The only difference; a more open environment and more integrity because we no longer had to hide ourselves to keep our jobs.
Since my honorable discharge from the USAF in 2006, I have come to understand and appreciate the meaning of Veterans Day. With each year that has passed, I have developed an enhanced comprehension of just what we, those who choose to give our lives over to defend the country, put on the line so our families and friends can rest easier.
As a gay veteran, I have seen dramatic changes in the short time DADT has been off the books. My active duty brethren and sistren can now serve openly and proudly. For some that were reinstated, they thrive and serve ever more proudly than before. I felt their happiness but was left wondering what there was for the veterans, the many who either left or were drummed from the ranks under DADT or before.
To date, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has been less than clear regarding their application of post-DOMA federal law. This ambiguity leaves us wondering about a system that has long left us out of the loop. Recently, I went to a medical appointment with my partner at the local VA medical facility. We held hands and did what any other veteran and loved one would do. I was a silent bundle of nerves. As we walked the halls, that weird DADT-era fear came creeping back in. This fear made me realize that there is still a lot of work to be done. If that fear still resided in me after all that has happened in favor of our LGBT community, it must be so for the many who are not yet comfortable coming out to their VA providers.
The presence of LGBT-friendly resources for LGBT veterans is more vital than before, especially since DADT and DOMA have been rescinded. As Marriage Equality USA’s (MEUSA) Military/Veteran Community Liaison, it has been one of my duties to ensure there is access to those resources. Here are a few:
- American Military Partners Association (AMPA): The nation’s premier resource and support network for LGBT military partners, spouses and their families. Founded by the partners of active duty servicemembers, AMPA has grown to nearly 4,000 members with thousands more supporters and is proud to be leading the effort to connect, support, honor, and serve our modern military families.
- American Veterans for Equal Rights (AVER): A non-profit, non-partisan, chapter-based Veterans Service Organization of active, reserve, and veteran service members dedicated to full and equal rights and equitable treatment for all present and former members of the U.S. Armed Forces, especially the LGBT current and prior military personnel who have been historically disenfranchised by armed forces policy and discriminatory laws governing military service and benefits.
- OutServe/SLDN: A non-partisan association of actively serving LGBT military personnel offering legal services and acting as a watchdog and policy organization dedicated to bringing about full LGBT equality to America's military and ending all forms of discrimination and harassment of military personnel on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
- Service members, Partners, Allies for Respect and Tolerance for All (SPARTA): The mission of this organization is to advocate for and support our actively serving LGBT military members and veterans and their families while working to ensure the military provides equal opportunity for all service members regardless of race, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation and gender identity.
Guest Post: Marriage Equality – It’s About Economic Security
[caption id="attachment_368" align="alignleft" width="112"]
Boyce Hinman[/caption]
Authored by Boyce Hinman, founder and director of the California Communities United Institute, and member of Marriage Equality USA. Hinman has been writing and posting a series, "Monday Morning Marriage Memo," as part of his Anatomy for Justice blog. This article was first published there, and is republished here with the author’s permission. Hinman resides in and serves California, therefore the posts sometimes have a California slant.
NOTE: Marriage Equality USA is not a legal firm or a tax/accounting firm. No action should be taken based solely on the content of our news blog or website.
Stephanie Fairyington had an article on Martin Duberman in the September/October issue of The Gay and Lesbian Review. Duberman is one of the major players in the LGBT rights movement. As the article notes, “he has been a formidable intellectual and activist on behalf of the disenfranchised in every corner of society”.
Fairyington says that “Duberman is deeply disappointed in the contemporary GLBT movement, noting that, for the past 20 years, the focus has been on marriage equality and repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” She added that “his view is that the goal of assimilating runs counter to the Spirit of Stone Wall and Gay Liberation which sought to affirm, rather than minimize, the differences between mainstream and queer culture”.
I would respectfully disagree. The drive to end Don’t Ask Don’t tell can be viewed as seeking the right to jobs and economic security. Over the past few years civilian employment has been very hard to find. For many, employment in the armed services has been an available fall back position, a way to put food on the table. Until the overturn of Don’t Ask, Don’t tell this alternative had not been available to LGBT people unless they denied who they really were.
The cultures of People of Color are different than what has been the dominant White culture of this nation. And those differences add value to society. But this doesn’t mean they should be denied the right to jobs in the military or to Marry.
People like Duberman say there is an essential difference in the relationships that LGBT people form compared to those in straight relationships. They often add that the institution of marriage is corrupt or sexist and LGBT people should not seek to copy it.
With respect, I believe the factors that help relationships succeed or fail are basically the same whether the relationship is straight or LGBT. For example, in both situations, good negotiating skills help people successfully negotiate their differences.
But that’s beside the point. Economic security is a valid reason for seeking marriage equality. Edith Windsor, who sued to overturn DOMA, had been charged over $600,000 in federal estate taxes when her wife died. That tax was due because the federal government did not recognize her marriage. Once DOMA was overturned she got that money back. That will do a lot to provide her with economic security in her old age.
Married people can also qualify for spousal Medicare and Social Security benefits, VA benefits and many other federal benefits that are not available to unmarried couples, or even registered domestic partners. These benefits can do much to provide economic security and peace of mind to married couples. It is worth pursuing marriage equality.
Boyce Hinman[/caption]
Authored by Boyce Hinman, founder and director of the California Communities United Institute, and member of Marriage Equality USA. Hinman has been writing and posting a series, "Monday Morning Marriage Memo," as part of his Anatomy for Justice blog. This article was first published there, and is republished here with the author’s permission. Hinman resides in and serves California, therefore the posts sometimes have a California slant.
NOTE: Marriage Equality USA is not a legal firm or a tax/accounting firm. No action should be taken based solely on the content of our news blog or website.
Stephanie Fairyington had an article on Martin Duberman in the September/October issue of The Gay and Lesbian Review. Duberman is one of the major players in the LGBT rights movement. As the article notes, “he has been a formidable intellectual and activist on behalf of the disenfranchised in every corner of society”.
Fairyington says that “Duberman is deeply disappointed in the contemporary GLBT movement, noting that, for the past 20 years, the focus has been on marriage equality and repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” She added that “his view is that the goal of assimilating runs counter to the Spirit of Stone Wall and Gay Liberation which sought to affirm, rather than minimize, the differences between mainstream and queer culture”.
I would respectfully disagree. The drive to end Don’t Ask Don’t tell can be viewed as seeking the right to jobs and economic security. Over the past few years civilian employment has been very hard to find. For many, employment in the armed services has been an available fall back position, a way to put food on the table. Until the overturn of Don’t Ask, Don’t tell this alternative had not been available to LGBT people unless they denied who they really were.
The cultures of People of Color are different than what has been the dominant White culture of this nation. And those differences add value to society. But this doesn’t mean they should be denied the right to jobs in the military or to Marry.
People like Duberman say there is an essential difference in the relationships that LGBT people form compared to those in straight relationships. They often add that the institution of marriage is corrupt or sexist and LGBT people should not seek to copy it.
With respect, I believe the factors that help relationships succeed or fail are basically the same whether the relationship is straight or LGBT. For example, in both situations, good negotiating skills help people successfully negotiate their differences.
But that’s beside the point. Economic security is a valid reason for seeking marriage equality. Edith Windsor, who sued to overturn DOMA, had been charged over $600,000 in federal estate taxes when her wife died. That tax was due because the federal government did not recognize her marriage. Once DOMA was overturned she got that money back. That will do a lot to provide her with economic security in her old age.
Married people can also qualify for spousal Medicare and Social Security benefits, VA benefits and many other federal benefits that are not available to unmarried couples, or even registered domestic partners. These benefits can do much to provide economic security and peace of mind to married couples. It is worth pursuing marriage equality.