Free To Be Who You Are In The Military

Posted on Thursday, June 9, 2016

June is known as LGBT Pride Month in the military. The first military pride month was June of 2011. Over the years, if you were LGBT serving in the military, it was difficult. You were told to hide your sexual preference. Slowly over the years LGBT military members are being recognized, and able to be open about their sexual preferences without getting discharged.

Facts About LGBT Military Members

Since the 1990s there have been some strides to make LGBT acceptable in the military. This is a list of facts about some of the laws and events that made history.

In 1993 the Clinton administration signed a law known as “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.” This allowed homosexuals to serve in the military as long as they didn’t talk about their sexual preference. The reason to not have people come out in the military was that “it would create an unacceptable risk to the high standards of morale, good order and discipline, and unit cohesion that are the essence of military capability.”
From 1993 to December of 2010 over 14,000 people were discharged due to their sexual preference. This cost the U.S. roughly $50,000 each discharge.
The total amount that the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy cost over 10 years was more than $363.8 million.
On December 22, 2010, Barack Obama signed a bill to repeal “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.” This was a major point in history. This meant that homosexuals were able to openly talk about their sexual preference without being discharged.
There is still a current ban on transgendered people in the military, because before 2013, being transgendered was viewed as a mental disorder by the American Psychiatric Association.
On June 9, 2015 the Defense Department announced that it updated its military equal opportunity program to protect service members against discrimination because of sexual orientation. This update, however, did not include transgendered individuals. It was announced last year that the Pentagon was going to release a new policy to allow transgendered people to serve in the military. As of right now it still hasn’t been released.

How To Celebrate LGBT Pride Month

With these big events changing history you can help celebrate our military by donating a car to Vehicles For Veterans. This program is an IRS-registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, meaning your donation is one hundred percent tax deductible. All of the proceeds from your car will go to veterans programs in your area.

Whether you have an unwanted vehicle that is new or one that has seen better days, it doesn’t matter. Donate it today in one easy step, either by calling 1-855-811-4838 or by filling out our form online. You will receive free towing and a great tax deduction. What are you waiting for? Donate now!