TRANSGENDER SERVICE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
RE: TRANSGENDER SERVICE
 
Contact: AVER Public Affairs, Denny Meyer, 718 849-5665, publicaffairs@aver.us
AVER President Julz Carey, firstjulz@gmail.com

Washington, D.C. Yesterday, American Veterans For Equal Rights (AVER) joined eight other U.S. veterans organizations on a powerful brief submitted to the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in opposition to the proposed ban on military service by transgender individuals. The brief uses the direct words and experiences of veterans and current service members to demonstrate that allowing transgender troops to openly serve strengthens our military.
AVER President Julz Carey, a retired US Coast Guard Chief Boatswain’s Mate, was honored for service as one of the first women deployed on ships on active duty; demonstrating the viability of America’s armed forces’ uniquely diverse crews’ ability to work together as unified teams.  Chief Carey affirmed AVER’s commitment to Transgender service saying, “We will not consider DADT to be fully repealed until transgender patriots are accepted as equal members of the US Armed Forces. Our armed forces will never be inclusive if we are exclusive.”
The United Military Voices brief was filed by Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP on behalf of TAVA along with the American Veterans Alliance, American Veterans for Equal Rights, Jewish War Veterans of the USA, Minority Veterans of America, Swords to Plowshares, Truman Center for National Policy, U.S. & Latin Veterans’ Support Embassy, and VoteVets.org.
 
The battle for our honor, our duty, our right to serve did not end with the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t tell.  As proud patriots who have served in our American armed forces, we will carry on demanding that every single able bodied volunteer may serve as who they are, with dignity and pride.
http://www.aver.us

Kristin Beck to Receive Matlovich Medal

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 10, 2018
RE: Kristin Beck to Receive Matlovich Medal

Contact:  AVER Public Affairs, Denny Meyer 718.849.5665 publicaffairs@aver.us
AVER President, Steve Loomis, LTC, USA, (Ret) 505.301.1737

San Antonio, TX “Military City USA” (AUG 10, 2018)

American Veterans For Equal Rights (AVER) will present its highest honor, the Leonard Matlovich Medal for Distinguished Service, to United States Navy Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator Kristin Beck.

Senior Chief Petty Officer Beck served 20 years in the Navy, taking part in 13 deployments, including seven combat deployments. Her many decorations include a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star with Valor device. Kristin Beck, who came out as a trans woman in 2013, has become one of the nation’s most prominent leaders in the fight for Transgender Service in the United States Military.

The medal is named in honor of USAF TechSgt Leonard Matlovich who was one of the first gay service members to purposely out himself to the military to fight the ban on LGBT service members. His service in Vietnam earned him a Purple Heart and Bronze Star. He was involuntarily discharged following his public gay declaration. The battle he bravely began ended 37 years later with the ban on gay service was lifted in 2011. Past recipients of the Matlovich Medal include President Barack Obama, Admiral Mike Mullen, Colonel Margarethe Cammermeyer, and gay activist PFC, Dr. Frank Kameny, a World War II veteran and founder of the modern LGBT civil rights movement.

American Veterans For Equal Rights, founded in 1990, is the nation’s LGBT veterans’ service organization advocating for the rights and benefits of LGBT service members and veterans. AVER’s Matlovich Medal will be presented to Senior Chief Beck at the AVER national convention to be held September 20-23, 2018, in Chicago.

For more information on the 2018 AVER convention please visit the website located at https://www.averchicago.org/national-convention/

JOINT TAVA – AVER PRESS RELEASE RE: TRANSGENDER SERVICE RESTRICTIONS

TRANSGENDER AMERICAN VETERANS ASSOCIATION (TAVA)
AMERICAN VETERANS FOR EQUAL RIGHTS (AVER)

Re.: Administration issues limitations on Transgender military service

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Evan Young, Major US Army Retired, President, TAVA
626 427-5724, evan@transveteran.org

Steve Loomis, LTC, US Army Retired, President, AVER
505 301-1737 sloomis@swcp.com

Denny Meyer, Public Affairs TAVA/AVER
718 849-5665 denny@transveteran.org, publicaffairs@aver.us

Transgender Ban a Step Backwards

The administration’s issuance of rules essentially banning the service of patriotic Transgender American volunteers, in violation of federal court rulings, flies in the face of American values and world leadership. Transgender American Veterans Association and American Veterans for Equal Rights believe President Harry Truman’s Executive Order integrating our armed forces in 1948, was key to defense of America while providing the world an example of equality and democracy. Since then, women have been integrated and fully equalized in our military, and under President Obama American LGB patriots could serve openly and proudly with distinction and honor.

The new discriminatory transphobic policy introduced by the President reverses our nation’s progress on equality and weakens the abilities and readiness of our armed forces.
While totalitarian nations have always segregated their military forces by tribe, religion, and ethnicity, America’s armed forces have been a light to the world simply by virtue of our example of unified force of uniformed Americans working cohesively regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation and sexual identity.

TAVA and AVER jointly reject and condemn the Administration’s reversal of American progress and leadership on equality, and the consequent weakening of the readiness and ability of our armed forces.

Evan Young, President of TAVA, stated, “Transgender service members have and do proudly serve in our Armed Forces the inception of our militaries. We deploy to remote regions of the world and faithfully serve our nations interest with honor. The administration’s attack on our military is an attack on all American’s values. Standing together, we can fight this bigotry.”

Steve Loomis, President of AVER, stated, “I have had the privilege to serve with transgender service members who were among my very best soldiers. Some of them I knew of their gender identity at the time, others I did not know until much later. They make our military better.”

AVER is the nation’s first LGBT veteran’s service organization advocating equality for all of America’s patriotic veterans and service members. www.aver.us

TAVA is the nation’s Transgender service organization advocating equality for America’s patriotic Transgender veterans and volunteers. www.transveteran.org

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Judge Blocks Trump’s Ban on Transgender Troops in Military

Judge Blocks Trump’s Ban on Transgender Troops in Military

On 30-October-2017, Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly of the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia found the administration’s justification for the ban on Transgender service, which was set to take effect in March 2018, to be suspect and likely unconstitutional. She ruled that the military’s current policy should remain in place pending review by higher courts.

The balance of power between Executive, Legislative, and Judicial continues to stand the test of time.  American Veterans for Equal Rights applauds Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly for her actions and upholding the constitution of the United States.

We are moving forward. AVER will follow and support this case as it progresses.  Sadly, the policy to bar essential health services to transgender service members still remains.

The administration’s attempt to ban Transgender service is clearly a political ploy for his base at the expense of Transgender service member’s rights.  18 of our allies including England, Canada and Israel have found that Transgender service has no effect on “Mission Readiness”.

As with the campaign to repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT) American Veterans for Equal Rights along with it’s allies will continue the campaign for Transgender equal rights until all service members can server proudly and openly.

We must not stand by and watch another’s civil rights violated and do nothing, lest we make it more likely our rights will be violated.

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AVER is America’s first gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender veterans and active duty service organization.  http://aver.us/

Contact information:
AVER President: Steve Loomis, LTC, EN, U.S. Army (Retired)
505-301-1737, sloomis@swcp.com

AVER Public Affairs: Denny Meyer, 718 849-5665, publicaffairs@aver.us

Website www.aver.us

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AVER/

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Veterans Proudly serving since Valley Forge! 

Steve Loomis

LTC, EN, U.S. Army (Retired)

National President

American Veterans for Equal Rights

505-301-1737

Website www.aver.us

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AVER/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Long Determination

This is an Oral History Like No Other!  “The Long Determination” documentary film tells the story and history of gays in the American military as they fought for their rights to serve openly and to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

View the film Trailer Here!

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B6RMyjCY3G4hRVdVWUJSQTdndVE

 

 

 

 

 This story of the service of Gay, Lesbian, bisexual and transgender service members is told in their own words.  While many of our heroes interviews are included, the many are LGBT patriots who simply wanted to serve their country.  You can be a part of finishing this important program by donating and sending this important message to your friends and associates.

DONATE

The Long Determination begins with an early history of men and women who served since the American Revolution and continues honorable, sometimes painful and always proud telling of their personal experiences by members from every military service and their spouses and supporters.

Stories include supporters and events involving the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell with selections of over 40 interviews.

This documentary is produced to Public Broadcasting System standards for national distribution, including Congress and the general public and has already been invited to select film festivals.

Help finish this film project.

Donate now and be recognized for your support!

You can follow us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/TheLongDetermination/

Twitter: @TheLongDetermination

To Follow: #TheLongDetermination

Email: mailto:TheLongDetermination@gmail.com

Veterans Proudly serving since Valley Forge! 

Steve Loomis                                                                                                                                              LTC, EN, U.S. Army (Retired)                                                                                                              National President                                                                                                                            American Veterans for Equal Rights                                                                                                       505-301-1737

Website www.aver.us                                                                                                                                 Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AVER/

 

 

 

Video: Members Respond to Transgender Service

“The President’s unilateral action concerning transgender service members is insulting to some of our most capable service members and disrespectful to the leadership of our military. Without full consultation, a President who never served our country has taken an action that discriminates without factual foundation. Transgender members are already and have always been part of some of our most combat ready units without difficulty for decades and will continue to be in the future. As long as any soldier, sailor, marine, airman or coast guards man has the physical and mental ability, they must be allowed to serve in the defense of our country.”

AVER has created a video expressing their anger and concerns. Click below:

Transgender Fight Back