Category Archives: News

AVER makes an effort to maintain links to news articles, from around the USA and the world at large, pertaining to the LGBT community, veterans and/or service members. If you find a relevant news article that is not listed, please send us the link via our Contact page, and we will assess the content for inclusion in our News lists.Please note:1. We scour the internet frequently to ensure that our news links are for articles published by media outlets. If you find a dead link, please let us know. For [non-AVER] organizational press releases, please see our Links directory.2. We will sometimes include articles pertaining to legislative matters; however, as a 501(c)(3) organization, we do not post news pertaining to specific political candidates, as this could be misconstrued as endorsement.

VA Secretary Announces Full Care for Transgender Vets

AMERICAN VETERANS FOR EQUAL RIGHTS

For Immediate Release
June 19, 2021

Re: VA Secretary Announces Full Care for Transgender Vets

Contact: AVER Public Affairs 718 849-5665 PublicAffairs@aver.us
AVER President, Julz Carey firstjulz@gmail.com

The executives and membership of American Veterans For Equal Rights celebrate today’s announcement by the Secretary of the Veterans Administration, Denis McDonough, stating that America’s Transgender veterans will now be able to access full medical care including Gender Reassignment Surgery. The procedures may begin after a process of review, commentary, and regulatory bureaucracy.

After having served since the American Revolution, our patriotic veterans will finally be able to have the full affirmation that our Nation owes to every veteran.

Along with the enactment of Juneteenth, announced this past week, our nation’s progress has taken a leap forward in recognizing all Americans more fully for our contribution to this nation.

TRANSGENDER MILITARY BAN LIFTED

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

AMERICAN VETERANS FOR EQUAL RIGHTS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

JANUARY 25, 2021

RE: TRANSGENDER MILITARY BAN LIFTED

Contact:

AVER Public Affairs, Denny Meyer 718.849.5665 publicaffairs@aver.us

San Antonio, TX “Military City USA” (JAN 25, 2021) – American Veterans for Equal Rights, the nation’s oldest Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender military veterans service organization, thanks President Joseph R. Biden for honoring his promise to lift the ban on Transgender military service imposed by the Trump administration in 2018. Noting that this is the second time the ban on Transgender service has been lifted, the first time under President Barack Obama in 2016, AVER calls for a codified solution regarding gender identity so that future disruptions to our nation’s armed forces by executive order can be avoided.

“We are grateful and pleased that Transgender volunteers are once again allowed to serve in our military,” said AVER National President Julz Carey. “Lifting the ban on Transgender men and women has been part of our stated mission for over 30 years, and today’s action is a major step forward in creating a military that fully reflects our nation’s increasingly diverse population,” she said. “This is a major victory not only for LGBT Americans, but for every individual who dreams of serving in our military. No one who meets basic requirements for military service should be excluded because of who they are.”

www.aver.us

Letter to President Biden and VP Harris

Joseph Biden
President, United States of America
Kamala Harris
Vice President, United States of America

Re : Congratulations; LGBT military/veterans’ rights

President Biden, Vice President Harris,

American Veterans for Equal Rights (AVER) is our nation’s LGBT veterans’ service organization advocating for the rights and benefits of our veterans, reservists, and active service members. On behalf of our members and National board, I would like to heartily congratulate you on becoming America’s President and Vice President. As a woman of Hispanic heritage , and as a veteran, I am both inspired and hopeful for our country. AVER stands ready to support the new administration in its effort to lead and unify the nation towards a more equitable future for all Americans.

In the previous Obama-Biden administration, Congressional legislation repealing the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy, ensured the right of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Americans to serve our country in freedom and equality. Executive orders went a long way to ensuring the same rights for Transgender American patriots who have served our nation valiantly since the Civil War, in great personal peril to themselves.

We were greatly heartened by your new administration’s statements on your first day in office, assuring us regarding your intention to give equal rights to Transgender Americans and those who want to serve in our armed forces. We urge you to guarantee full equal rights and benefits to Transgender volunteers to serve openly and proudly, including full medical benefits. We wish to remind you that our Transgender veterans are still denied benefits such as sexual reassignment surgery provided by the Veterans Administration. We urge you to rectify these discriminatory policies first by Executive Order followed by Congressional legislation.

Thank you again for boldly stepping forward to lead our nation.

Sincerely,
Julz Carey, Chief Petty Officer (Ret), United States Coast Guard
President, American Veterans For Equal Rights AVER.us

Download PDF version of letter here: AVER Congratulatory letter to the new administration

ASSAULT ON OUR NATION’S CAPITOL

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

AMERICAN VETERANS FOR EQUAL RIGHTS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

JANUARY 12, 2021

RE: ASSAULT ON OUR NATION’S CAPITOL

Contact:

AVER Public Affairs, Denny Meyer 718.849.5665 publicaffairs@aver.us

San Antonio, TX “Military City USA” (JAN 12, 2021) – American Veterans for Equal Rights joins the American Legion, Disabled American Veterans, AMVETS, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and other national veterans service organizations in strongly condemning the armed assault on our nation’s Capitol January 6th. AVER joins other US military veterans in our outrage at how dangerously close violent insurrectionists came to toppling the constitutionally elected government of the United States, noting that the first, second, and third individuals in line of Presidential succession were all targets of the domestic terrorist attack. We reject any notion that this is a partisan issue. As men and women who swore a sacred oath to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic” we believe that the vast majority of American citizens share our outrage at the January 6th desecration of our precious and fragile liberty. We call for a bipartisan investigation into the attack on our national seat of government, the swift and stringent prosecution of the perpetrators, and a restored commitment to creating a society where our core values of justice and equality will be affirmed by every American as the most basic aspirations of our nation. The men and women who have shed their blood to create and preserve our Constitution deserve no less.

www.aver.us

Press Release : New Horizons

Press Release : New Horizons 7 Nov 2020

Contact:

Julz Carey, AVER President, firstjulz@gmail.com

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

Re: AVER Congratulates President Elect Biden and Vice President Elect Harris

American Veterans for Equal Rights, America’s oldest LGBT Veteran Service Organization, congratulates President Elect Joe Biden and Vice President Elect Kamala Harris.

AVER President, Julz Carey, said, “Our congratulations to Joe Biden on his election as the 46th President of the United States. As veterans and citizens it is now our responsibility to support the new President in his efforts to heal wounds and work with both sides of the aisle. We heartily congratulate, and are especially looking forward to Kamala Harris inspiring all Americans as the nation’s first woman of color and first child of immigrants to serve as Vice President.”

AVER President Emeritus Steve Loomis observed that, “President Elect Joseph Biden and Vice President Elect Kamala Harris are devoted supporters of LGBT, our active duty military and veterans, their rights, and their unrelenting service to our country.”

“We look forward to President-elect Biden fulfilling his promise to lift the ban on Transgender service implemented by his predecessor. Our American Armed Forces will be stronger, more effective, and more reflective of our increasingly diverse citizenship when all LGBT patriots who volunteer to defend our nation’s freedom are allowed to serve with pride and authenticity.” said former AVER President Danny Ingram.

AVER will continue working with respect for our service members, past and present, to protect our health during this dangerous pandemic, protect our rights, and to extend those protections to all. Particular attention will be paid to our Transgender community, and to our senior veterans. AVER has encouraged removing the ban against military service by transgender citizens and encourages our new President to effect that at the first opportunity.

American Veterans for Equal Rights is the nation’s LGBT Veterans Service Organization advocating for equality among all who serve. 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/