Pentagon formally recognizes transgender veteran
buzzfeed.comEarlier this month, the Pentagon quietly made history when it acknowledged a transgender veteran’s changed gender marker and updated records appropriately.
This is thought to be the first time the Department of Defense has recognized a gender transition for anyone affiliated with the armed forces, and it’s especially a big deal because trans people still cannot serve openly, even after the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.
In a short letter dated May 2, a Navy official told Autumn Sandeen, a veteran and transgender activist: “Per your request the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) has been updated to show your gender as female effective April 12, 2013.”
Sandeen’s military identification card now reflects the change, a move called “quite significant” by the head of OutServe-SLDN, a national organization for LGBT service members and veterans and their families.
“The fact that a process exists [to change the gender listed] indicates that there are people in the Department of Defense who are aware of the needs of transgender retirees and who are working to see those needs met. And, in that sense, the significance of this symbolic act for our broader work and for our goal of open service becomes I think a little bit more apparent,” OutServe-SLDN executive director Allyson Robinson told BuzzFeed.
Holy cow, this is a huge deal. Major congratulations to Ms. Sandeen for starting what will hopefully become a major change in how the Department of Defense treats its transgender veterans and service members. There’s no excuse for the kind of discrimination that has been perpetuated for so long.
“The [Department of Defense] paid $100,000 to sponsor a strategy workshop in September featuring a session called 'Did Jesus die for Klingons, too?' on the theological threat to Christianity that the discovery of life on other planets might pose.”
—Your taxpayer dollars at work, ladies and gentlemen.Pentagon Announces Expansion Of Benefits To Same-Sex Couples
The Department of Defense Monday announced that it is extending certain benefits to same-sex couples in the military adding a final punctuation mark to outgoing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s tenure at the Pentagon.
Activists hailed the decision. “Today, the Pentagon took a historic step forward toward righting the wrong of inequality in our armed forces, but there is still more work to be done. Gay and lesbian service members and their families make sacrifices every day, and this country owes them every measure of support we can provide. Since the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ the Obama administration has
shown true leadership on this issue,” Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin told Buzzfeed. [more]
