Author Archives: James Apedaile

AVER National Convention 2023

Save The Date!!
American Veterans for Equal Rights is pleased to announce the 2023 National Convention will be held Oct 14th-16th in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The Florida Gold Coast Chapter is hosting the convention at the Pride Center At Equality Park in the City of Wilton Manors.

Accommodations will be at the Sonesta Fort Lauderdale Beach, just steps away from the ocean. Special reservation prices will be honored 3 days before and after the convention so you can plan to stay and play!

Vendor applications are open!! Veteran organizations welcome! See contact information below.

AVER is our nation’s oldest LGBT Veteran Service Organization. We are a chapter-based 501c3 dedicated to Equality for LGBTQ Servicemembers, Veterans, and our families.

More information and registration information coming soon. We look forward to seeing you there!

Contact: Lee Lawson – Son_oflaw@yahoo.com

ALIVE

“ALIVE”
On 21 March 2003, 20 years ago today, United States military forces crossed the border from Kuwait into Iraq on the first day of the ground war of Operation Iraqi Freedom. This movement followed a night of “shock and awe” in which American and British air forces had attacked Iraqi military positions in advance of the invasion. US Marine Corps Staff Sergeant Eric Fidelis Alva was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, when the unit crossed from Kuwait into Iraq. Three hours into the ground war, the convoy halted its advance. SSgt Alva exited his vehicle and walked to the front hood to heat his MRE, something he had almost never done before. While returning to the side of the vehicle he triggered a mine which exploded beneath him. He had become the first injury of the war and was the war’s first Purple Heart recipient. In almost any previous war, that would have been the end of Eric’s story. The end of his life. But not in 2003.
What followed was a story of extensive trauma, horrible pain, endless surgeries, frustrating rehabilitation, and lonely moments where thoughts of death and despair were never far away. But Eric Alva persevered. He overcame obstacles and learned to live a new life missing his right leg. Something few of us can even imagine. He retired from the Marine Corps with 13 years of service and began life post-military, inspiring others with stories of pushing beyond physical challenges and overcoming obstacles. Learning to snow ski and scuba dive, and helping others to do the same. And that, too, may have been the end of his story. But it wasn’t. Eric’s work, and his challenges, were not finished.
Coming out as gay was not an easy decision for a Texan from a deeply Hispanic culture. It was a challenge, and there were many risks to being open about who he was, including the risk of rejection from the family who had been so supportive throughout his long ordeal of injury and recovery. But circumstances had placed Eric Alva in a unique position. The fight to repeal the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell law, the military policy that denied LGBT people the right to serve in defense of our nation’s freedom, was looking for a champion, and Eric Alva fit the description. Once again, he crossed the line and took a dangerous step.
Eric Alva became one of the most compelling and inspirational champions of the effort to repeal DADT, speaking out as a gay Marine who had served proudly and sacrificed for his country. He served as the national spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign’s fight to repeal the ban, speaking across the country and appearing on numerous television shows including Oprah Winfrey, Good Morning America, Anderson Cooper 360, and appearing in Newsweek, USA Today, as well as numerous other media across the country including the cover of The Advocate. He testified before the House Armed Service Subcommittee. And on December 22, 2010, he stood behind the right shoulder of President Barack Obama as the President signed the legislation to implement the repeal of DADT.
Today is Eric’s “Alive Day,” a day often commemorated by the few individuals who share the traumatic experience of almost dying. It is not an easy thing, when nightmares still disturb sleep, or thoughts about “what might have been” can creep in, invoking sadness and loss. As his husband I know how deeply challenging this day can be for him. There is not much I can do to take away painful memories, and nothing I can do to restore a lost limb. But like so many military spouses, I do what I can to be supportive of someone who is not only my love but my hero. I know I join many, many people who give thanks that Eric Alva survived that day 20 years ago and went on to inspire so many lives, touch so many hearts, and create so much change in the lives of a people struggling for our hard-earned piece of the American dream of justice and equality. I love you, SSgt Eric Alva. I am so grateful for the story of your life, an on-going and unfolding story which I am now so deeply honored and blessed to share. Thank you for your courage, commitment, and dedication. Your kind and faithful heart. Your tenderness and laughter. Thank you for being you. A Marine. A Hero. A creator of change.
Semper Fi.
Danny Ingram, National President Emeritus
American Veterans for Equal Rights

Respect for Marriage Act and Codification of Military Service

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 13, 2022
RE: Respect for Marriage Act and Codification of Military Service
Contact: AVER Public Affairs, 678.596.1311 publicaffairs@aver.us
San Antonio, TX “Military City USA” (DEC 13, 2022) – American Veterans for Equal Rights, the nation’s oldest Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender veterans service organization, salutes the bi-partisan passage of the Respect for Marriage Act (RMA), a law that will protect the right of LGBTQ people and people of all races to marry. In light of recent statements from United States Supreme Court justices that the Court might reconsider cases that decided the freedom to marry, these rights could be jeopardized by future decisions. RMA codifies federal recognition of same-sex marriage.
AVER is equally concerned that the hard-won right of LGBT service in the US military should likewise be codified into law. Military service is not protected by law. Congress’s Women’s Armed Services Integration Act of 1948 codified the right of women to serve in the military, however, the racial integration of the military, as well as the right of LGBT people to serve, was only accomplished by executive order, and can be reversed by subsequent executive order, as was the case with former-president Trump’s repeal of Transgender service in 2020.
Until protections for LGBT service members are codified into law, the right to serve remains at the whim of politicians. President Biden’s executive order that states “all Americans who are qualified to serve in the Armed Forces of the United States should be able to serve” must be protected by law. We call upon Congress to do so.

10th Anniversary of Freedom to Serve

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 15, 2021

RE:  10th Anniversary of Freedom to Serve

Contact:  AVER Public Affairs, 678.596.1311 publicaffairs@aver.us

San Antonio, TX “Military City USA” (SEP 15, 2021) – American Veterans for Equal Rights, the nation’s oldest Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender veterans service organization, joins other progressive patriots from all walks of life in commemorating the 10th anniversary of the September 20, 2011, implementation of the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, the law that barred LGBT people from serving in the United States military. AVER celebrates this important civil rights milestone, and we honor the long and determined grassroots effort by service members and veterans, men and women, to overturn the nearly 100-year-old policies that denied the freedom to serve to LGBT Soldiers, Marines, Sailors, Airmen and Coastguardsmen. We acknowledge the diverse efforts, strategies, struggles and sacrifices by many individuals and organizations that led to the repeal of the discriminatory DADT law. Work remains. Until protections for LGBT service members are codified into law, the right to serve remains at the whim of politicians. Just as Donald Trump reversed the Obama-era policy that allowed transgender volunteers the right to serve, future commanders-in-chief could change policy at will. The reinstatement of transgender service implemented by President Biden must be protected by law. AVER envisions a military that fully reflects the diversity of the American people, where every individual who serves is free to reach their full potential unburdened by policies that discriminate against any service member for any reason. The defenders of our nation’s liberty must be, first and foremost, the representatives of the freedom they serve to defend.

VA LGBTQ+ Fertility Survey

The VA is conducting a quality improvement project focusing on fertility/infertility needs and services among LGBTQ+ Veterans. We are interested in reaching out to both VA users and LGBTQ+ Veterans in the community about fertility/infertility needs and services.

This is an opportunity to make LGBTQ+ Veterans voices heard about fertility needs and VA services. If you or your Veterans have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the study lead:  Kristin.mattocks@va.gov

Survey link:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LGBTCare