American Veterans for Equal Rights is honored to welcome our newest member Captain Allison J. Caputo, United States Coast Guard. Captain Caputo, whose rank is equivalent to an Army colonel, is one of the highest ranking Transgender officers in the United States Military.
Captain Caputo graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 1995 with a BS in Marine Science, holds a Master’s Degree in Marine Affairs from the University of Rhode Island, and has over 11 years of sea service aboard 5 different cutters in both the Pacific and Atlantic Areas. In 2015, Captain Caputo was assigned as Chief Living Marine Resources Enforcement officer at Coast Guard Headquarters where she implemented the Port States Measures Agreement, presented Ship-rider (Integrated Cross-Border Maritime Law Enforcement Operations) opportunities for Safe Ocean Network and established port denials for countries identified as Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing nations. As the Chief of Law Enforcement for the Seventeenth Coast Guard District in Juneau, AK she implemented high seas boarding and inspection for the North Pacific Fisheries Commission as the chair of the enforcement committee. She is the author of “A Global Fish War is Coming” published in U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings in August 2017.
Captain Caputo currently serves in San Antonio, TX, as the Planning Section Chief for Joint Task Force West, which was created in 2014, and coordinates intelligence, investigations and efforts by agencies within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security targeting transnational criminal organizations along the southwest border. Captain Caputo’s personal awards include: two Meritorious Service Medals, four Coast Guard Commendation Medals, and a Coast Guard Achievement Medal.
AVER is proud of the training and dedication of the Transgender service members like Captain Allison Caputo who keep our nation safe both here at home and around the world. Transgender Soldiers, Marines, Sailors, Airmen, and Coast Guardsmen form an integral and crucial part of the dedicated men and women who defend our nation’s freedom and maintain our national security. AVER supports their full inclusion and we call for the immediate termination of policies that exclude their service. Policies that exclude individuals from our armed forces for unjust reasons are not only an offense to the freedoms our service members risk their lives to defend but are also a wasteful danger to our collective safety.
Thank you, Captain Allison Caputo for your service to our nation and your commitment to authentic leadership. Your dedication is second to none. You are the best of us.

Dear Prior Military Service Members,

You are being invited to volunteer to participate in a research study about exploring LGBTQ Military Prior Servicemembers lived experience, associated stressors, and social support. The purpose of this study is to better understand the lived experienced, associated stressors, and social support of LGBTQ military prior service members. The study consists of completing an electronic survey that includes a demographic and personal history sheet along with several other research instruments. The time to complete the survey is approximately 18 minutes. You may skip the questions that you are not comfortable answering.  

FLYER attached: Survey Flyer

World Pride Parade New York City Invitation

American Veterans for Equal Rights, America’s LGBT veterans service organization, invites all patriotic LGBT United States, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, Israeli, and United Kingdom veterans to march with us in the World Pride Parade in New York City on June 30^th 2019.  Partners and spouses are welcome.

We march proudly with the American and Rainbow flags.  Allied country veterans, listed above, may march with us, in uniform, carrying their national flags.

You must sign up in advance to march with us, email us at glbtvetsnyc@yahoo.com : list your name, email address, phone number, your country/branch of service and final rank.  We will send you the line up time and location when it becomes available.

Rules and what to wear:
AVER marchers wear neat casual clothing, no wild outfits.  AVER marchers may not carry nor wear any political, protest, nor commercial signs, slogans nor insignia of any kind.

Veterans may wear their uniforms IF they are neat, complete and inspectable.  No, incomplete uniforms.   Active Duty personnel and reservists are responsible for getting permission from their commands to march in uniform in the World Pride Parade.  Be aware that there will be national and international live TV cameras and news photographers throughout the parade route.

AVER is not able to provide any support services to marchers.  We look forward to the honor of marching with you in Pride.

23 January 2019

TRANSGENDER AMERICAN VETERANS ASSOCIATION
AMERICAN VETERANS FOR EQUAL RIGHTS

For Immediate Release
Contact:
Evan Young, President, TAVA evan@transveteran.org
Julz Carey, President, AVER, firstjulz@gmail.com
Denny Meyer, AVER/TAVA Public Affairs 718 849-5665

Re: Joint Press release re: SCOTUS lifts injunctions banning Transgender military service

A full 25 years after our allied countries lifted their bans on gay and transgender service, the US Administration is still determined to enforce discrimination.  While three courts have filed injunctions against the administration banning Transgender Service, and one court lifting its injunction; the Supreme Court has now lifted the injunctions allowing the Trump Administration to immediately impose a ban on Transgender Service.

Previously, the Obama administration achieved nearly full equality first by encouraging and signing the repeal of the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy against Gay service; and then ordering our armed forces to allow Transgender service under careful guidelines.  The Trump Administration has sought, from the start, to void and cancel all Obama initiatives, progress, and rational policies, determined to roll back equality, science, human dignity, and decency.  With a Supreme Court stacked with conservative bigots disinterested in American ideology of equality, the reversal of rights has just begun.

Evan Young, Major US Army retired, President of TAVA, said, “I am furious and disappointed in the actions of the Supreme Court today with their obvious injection of discrimination against honorably serving transgender Americans in our Armed Forces. Their action is backed by an administration determined to erase Transgender Americans. We will not be erased, and we will continue to serve patriotically and give the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Donald Trump is part of a systemic problem in our country dividing us against each other in the name of far right religious organizations that spew hatred and bigotry against the LGBTQI community. We must stand strong and fight this cruel and irrational decision through our votes in the next election as we did in the mid-terms. This administration’s discrimination causes someone to lose their dream, brings someone to tears over their future, and allows someone to be afraid for their safety. To become a great nation, we must work together, empower each other, and celebrate diversity.”

Julz Carey, US Coast Guard Chief Boatswain’s Mate retired, President of AVER, said, “I am outraged and heartbroken by the actions of this administration to enforce discrimination based on ignorance and raw prejudice as opposed to facts. Instead of affirming the rights of all Americans who volunteer and stand proudly in the uniform of our armed services, the Trump administration and the over zealous religous right seek to inject hatred, discrimination, and harrasment into the ranks of what should be cohesive military units striving to work together as one, enhanced by the diversity of the many.

Banning Transgender service despite there being no problems in two years of open service in the US armed forces, and none in over two and a half decades in our allied countries makes no sense other than blatant pandering to a conservative voter base.  History shows we have heroes cut from all fabrics of the American tapestry.  We have American service members who are not being paid, who are feeding their families from food banks, and today we tell them their team mates are not worthy.  How dare you insult my sisters and brothers in arms.”

Our proud patriots will continue to endeavor to serve their country; we will continue to demand equality.

American Veterans For Equal Rights (aver.us) is the nation’s LGBT veterans’ service organization serving the needs of our veterans and advocating for the rights and benefits of LGBT service members and veterans.

Transgender American Veterans Association (transveteran.org) is the national Transgender service organization advocating for the rights and benefits of Transgender service members and veterans.

TRANSGENDER AMERICAN VETERANS ASSOCIATION
AMERICAN VETERANS FOR EQUAL RIGHTS

For Immediate Release
Contact:
Evan Young, President, TAVA evan@transveteran.org
Julz Carey, President, AVER, firstjulz@gmail.com
Denny Meyer, AVER/TAVA Public Affairs 718 849-5665

On Friday January 4^th the DC Circuit Court of Appeals vacated one of four injunctions preventing the Administration from implementing its ban on transgender military service.  Three other injunctions continue to prevent implementing a ban on transgender service.  The court conflict, however, advances the likelihood that the Administration’s ban will be considered by the Supreme Court.  The Administration had already requested the Supreme Court to skip waiting for a conflict to consider its ban, prior to the current DC Circuit Court of Appeals’ ruling.

Banning patriotic Transgender volunteers from serving openly and proudly will force those who want to serve back into hiding, hindering the readiness of our armed forces, and be detrimental to recruitment at a time when the strength of our armed forces is essential.

Evan Young, President TAVA, said, “the Transgender American Veterans Association condemns the D.C. Court of Appeals lifting the injunction on the ban of transgender troops. Transgender service members are highly capable and have proven their worthiness of serving since our nations first wars. Inclusion of transgender service members is an integral part of unit cohesiveness and military readiness. Transgender actively serving and veterans alike have patriotically sacrificed their life to defend this nation, and we all are safer for it.”

Julz Carey, President of AVER, said that, “American values are upheld for the world to see when our armed forces are fully inclusive of all able bodied Americans who choose to volunteer to serve with courage and pride.  Banning Transgender troops or any minority diminishes our democracy, our national identity, and our readiness to defend freedom.”

American Veterans For Equal Rights (aver.us) is the nation’s LGBT veterans’ service organization serving the needs of our veterans and advocating for the rights and benefits of LGBT service members and veterans.

Transgender American Veterans Association (transveteran.org) is the national Transgender service organization advocating for the rights and benefits of Transgender service members and veterans.