Posts Tagged Don’t Ask Don’t Tell

Serving while transgender

A new reality series looks at the reality faced by the transgender people who serve in the very military which officially bans them.

A new reality series looks at the reality faced by the transgender people who serve in the very military which officially bans them.

Transmilitary: meet the soldiers the military doesn’t want you to

It’s no wonder Chelsea Manning didn’t start transitioning while serving in the army. The institution make have gotten rid of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, but it makes no bones about its exclusion of transgender people. In language that reflects its archaic and out of touch policies, The Department of Defense  lists the following as disqualifications for serving in the military: “history of major abnormalities or defects of the genitalia, such as change of sex [and] hermaphroditism.” and “current or history of psychosexual conditions, including but not limited to transsexualism [and] transvestism.”

This, of course, does not mean there are not transgender people currently serving in the Military. But they serve in silence. Until now. A new documentary web ...

It’s no wonder Chelsea Manning didn’t start transitioning while serving in the army. The institution make have gotten rid of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, but it makes no bones about its exclusion of transgender people. ...

Quick hit: Santa’s elves urge repeal of discriminatory policy

A little belated holiday cheer for you. Bilerico is reporting, via a publication I don’t often read, “The North Pole Gazette,” that in the post-Christmas season, some of Santa’s elves are calling for the repeal of the workshop’s “Shut Up, Make Toys” policy.

“I didn’t like it then, and I don’t like it now,” Smizzle said, as he sat in the elf cafeteria. “I refuse to hide who I am anymore. It’s unnatural. And it makes me so cranky I hardly ever whistle while I work.”

Smizzle emphasized that, in his view, this is an issue of fundamental fairness. “I do the same high-quality work as everyone else. I work dawn to dusk like everyone else. I wear the same curly ...

A little belated holiday cheer for you. Bilerico is reporting, via a publication I don’t often read, “The North Pole Gazette,” that in the post-Christmas season, some of Santa’s elves are calling for the repeal of ...

Obama signs Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal


Pic via Evan Vucci/AP

This morning, President Obama signed into law the repeal of the 17-year old discriminatory military policy Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. He stated, “No longer will tens of thousands of Americans in uniform be asked to live a lie.”

Pam’s House Blend has full remarks here, including reactions to the signing and an interview with Dan Choi, who was at the signing.

While it will actually be a couple of months before the repeal goes into effect, this is one historic day of DADT’s end.


Pic via Evan Vucci/AP

This morning, President Obama signed into law the repeal of the 17-year old discriminatory military policy Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. He stated, “No longer will tens of thousands of ...

BREAKING: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Imminent; DREAM Act dies in the Senate

After the last two years of promises and let-downs, high hopes and massive hold-ups, finally ending the discriminatory military policy Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell has been decided by the Senate with a vote of 63 to 33  to close the debate and allow the repeal to move forward. This means just 51 Senators can now vote on the repeal, which is expected to happen by the end of the weekend — and then signed by President Obama., Defense Secretary Gates and Admiral Mike Mullen.

But the military ban will not literally end immediately thereafter; Pam’s House Blend has the statement from the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network on what needs to happen before the ban is completely over ...

After the last two years of promises and let-downs, high hopes and massive hold-ups, finally ending the discriminatory military policy Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell has been decided by the Senate with a vote of 63 ...

Senate to vote on DADT tomorrow

Yesterday, Senate majority leader Harry Reid filed cloture on the new stand-alone bill to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” The Senate will most likely vote on it tomorrow. Obviously, we’re all hopeful that this discriminatory policy will finally be repealed and that LGBT servicemen and women will finally be treated with the respect and dignity that they deserve. I hope that any senators still hanging out on the wrong side of history take a moment to read this letter, posted at Jezebel, from a gay soldier who’s about to deploy to Afghanistan:

The silence is the hardest part. I listen intently as my fellow soldiers talk about facing the reality of leaving their loved ones for a year and all the ...

Yesterday, Senate majority leader Harry Reid filed cloture on the new stand-alone bill to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” The Senate will most likely vote on it tomorrow. Obviously, we’re all hopeful that this discriminatory policy will ...

Pentagon recommends DADT repeal

Yesterday, on the 17 year anniversary of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell being signed into law, the Pentagon released its study on this controversial and discriminatory policy. The results are pretty clear: over 2/3 of service members believe ending DADT would have a positive, mixed, or no effect.

Further, service members know they are already serving with gay and lesbian soldiers, and the majority don’t have a problem with this. The authors of the study and the joint chiefs are now supportive of repealing DADT. And the study’s authors also recommend removing language from the Uniform Code of Military Justice that bans “consensual sodomy.” The full report can be found here.

The release of this study is the latest step ...

Yesterday, on the 17 year anniversary of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell being signed into law, the Pentagon released its study on this controversial and discriminatory policy. The results are pretty clear: over 2/3 of service members ...

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