AVER Leads World Pride Parade

Pride Month 2025 proved to be a very difficult period for the LGBTQ+ military community with the termination of Transgender service in the armed forces and the renaming of the USNS Harvey Milk, a move calculated to insult LGBTQ+ Americans at a time we celebrate who we are. The end of Transgender service is particularly difficult for American Veterans for Equal Rights, the nation’s oldest LGBTQ+ veterans service organization. As we commemorated our 35th anniversary the loss of Trans service was a difficult setback. Our stated mission and continued goal is the establishment of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender military service. No one is left behind. We are deeply saddened at the loss of careers and skills necessary to the defense of our nation. In the midst of these challenging times AVER marches on. On Saturday June 7th AVER had the honor of leading the World Pride Parade in Washington DC, and on June 23 we participated in the Congressional VSO Roundtable at the Capitol. In this our 35th year of service we stand strong in our resolve to create a more representative military force that reflects the diversity of the American people. We want to thank our many faithful members and supporters for keeping the long watch with us for these many years.

AVER Leads World Pride Parade

AVER Color Guard leading World Pride Parade

 

 

 

 

 

Caption: Members of AVER lead the World Pride Parade on June 7th in Washington, DC.

SCOTUS TO REVIEW CASES

June 27, 2025
For immediate release
June 26 is one of the most important dates in LGBTQ history. On this date, the Supreme Court of the United States decided the three cases Lawrence v Texas (2003), Windsor v United States (2013), and Obergefell v Hodges (2015) that overturned (respectively), bans on consensual same-gender sex, the Defense of Marriage Act, and the denial of marriage protection to same-sex families. This is a day to commemorate the struggle of our community to achieve equality under the law. It is also a time to be vigilant. The current Supreme Court is no longer friendly to our community. SCOTUS has allowed the ban on Transgender military service to go into effect despite cases working their way through lower courts that will challenge the constitutionality of yet the latest unjust political policy. This is a scary time for our community. But we are not powerless. As America’s oldest LGBTQ+ Veterans Service Organization, AVER has seen victories and we have seen defeats. It’s time to put the marching boots back on. It’s time to take to the streets (and the halls of Congress!) and fight against the forces that would strip us of our hard earned gains in the same way they have stripped the USNS Harvey Milk of her honored name. Don’t give up the ship! We’ve been here before. The victory is to the resilient who continue to hold the line in good times and bad.
Graphic of Pride Flag with dates

Important issues the Supreme Court will review.

AVER 35th Anniversary

Animated 35th Birthday GraphicAmerican Veterans for Equal Rights was formed in our nation’s capitol in Washington, DC, on May 17, 1990. For 35 years AVER has fought for the right of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender men and women to serve with freedom and authenticity in the United States Armed Forces. Through the years we have suffered defeats and celebrated victories. Our mission, especially in light of the loss of Transgender service, is on-going. There is no greater honor and no more vital mission than the defense of the United States Constitution. Until everyone who is capable of serving is allowed to do so without discrimination, we will continue to fight. Happy Anniversary to us. We got this.AVER 35 Years of Service Graphic

US Supreme Court Transgender Service Ruling

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

American Veterans for Equal Rights (AVER)

Today’s ruling by the United States Supreme Court to allow President Trump’s ban on Transgender service members to go into immediate effect will be a terrible blow to national security. The move by SCOTUS will terminate the service of pilots, weapons engineers, doctors, drill instructors, special forces and other highly trained and dedicated member of our armed forces for no other reason than ignorance and discrimination. While lower courts have issued stays against the ban, finding it likely unconstitutional, today’s ruling allows the ban to go into effect even as the other cases proceed.

“Transgender volunteers have been serving openly for over a decade” said AVER President Penn Baker, herself a Transgender US Navy veteran, “and their service alone is proof that that Transgender personnel are a tremendous asset to military readiness. Throughout our military’s long history the civilian court system has often deferred to military justice, allowing statements such as ‘X is incompatible with military service’ to bar women, racial minorities, and gay people from opportunities to serve. We thought we had moved beyond such discrimination, and we are confidant that the pending cases will overturn yet another unjust policy.”

AVER, which has been fighting LGBTQ+ bans for over 35 years, stands in solidarity with our fellow veterans and active duty service organizations in opposing policies that deny opportunity and remove vital skills from the military. The American people are less safe as a result of this action.

Benefits Update

BENEFITS UPDATE
LGBTQ+ Service and VA Benefits Right Now!
The landscape is constantly shifting, but here is the current status as of April 27, 2025.
LGBTQ+ Service. Transgender service members are serving and receiving care, including gender affirming surgeries under the Defense Health Agency. Donald Trump issued an executive order on January 27, 2025, terminating service for anyone with a current or former diagnosis of gender dysphoria. Three lawsuits have been filed, two of which have resulted in a nationwide injunction blocking Trump’s EO. The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to enact the ban. Recruitment is open to Transgender individuals. Adult dependents of service members who are Transgender are receiving care. Treatments have been halted for minors 19 and under. No Pride events on military installations. No display of Pride flags. To date there has been no call to end Lebian, Gay, and Bisexual service.
Veterans Care with the VA. The VHA LGBTQ+ Health Program, which mandates an LGBTQ+ Veteran Care Coordinator in each VA system, is still in place. The VA’s LGBTQ+ website is still up. The VA will begin phasing out all treatment for gender dysphoria except for veterans who have a previous diagnosis while on active duty and veterans already in the VA system with a current diagnosis. No Pride events. No display of Pride flags. The VA had not begun offering gender confirmation surgeries.
Discharge Upgrades. A class action settlement against the Department of Defense in March, 2025, mandates that the DOD will streamline the process for discharge upgrades for all service eras, including discharges before Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. The update of narrative codes on DD214s, which included descriptions such as “sexual deviance,” are included in this action. The DOD has until August of this year to comply with the settlement.
Danny Ingram
AVER Public Affairs