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.

Eric Fanning Confirmed as Secretary of the Army

AMERICAN VETERANS FOR EQUAL RIGHTS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Re:  Eric Fanning Confirmed as Secretary of the Army

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

Eric Fanning was confirmed as Secretary of the Army by the US Senate after a considerable delay.  He is eminently qualified, having served as Deputy Undersecretary of the Navy, Undersecretary and Acting Secretary of the Air Force, and has been on the job serving as Acting Secretary of the Army for nearly a year.  The fact that he is openly gay is nearly irrelevant except for LGBT Americans and particularly LGBT soldiers in the US Army who now know that they have the support of someone who knows who they are.

The immediate 8 month delay since he was appointed by President Obama was reportedly to due politics rather than prejudice.  The more than 200 year delay in American history is more significant.  He has become the highest ranking known gay American armed forces official and first known openly gay Secretary in our armed forces.  It was not that long ago that simply being gay was grounds for dishonorable dismissal from our armed forces.  And yet, gay patriots have served our nation since the Revolutionary War, starting with LTGEN Friedrich Von Steuben who trained the Continental Army and wrote the original Rules of Order and Discipline which evolved into the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).  We have a proud history.  Mr. Fanning now takes his well-deserved place therein.

AVER President, LTC Steve Loomis, US Army Retired, stated, “We welcome Eric Fanning as the new Secretary of the Army.  He can now proceed with leading the Army in a very important time.  His leadership will undoubtedly be effectively for all members of our Army.  We wish him and the Army the very best.”

American Veterans For Equal Rights is America’s first national LGBT veterans’ service organization advocating for the rights and benefits of LGBT veterans and service members since 1990 –  www.aver.us

 

NC, Mississippi Laws Hurt LGBT Soldiers, Marines

AMERICAN VETERANS FOR EQUAL RIGHTS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 8, 2016

RE: NC, Mississippi Laws Hurt LGBT Soldiers, Marines

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

AVER President, Steve Loomis, LTC, USA, (Ret) 505.301.1737

US Marine Corps (USMC) Marines, 3rd Marine Regiment (MAR REGT), Marine Corps Base Hawaii (MCBH) Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii (HI), stand at attention during the 64th commemoration of the December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor, HI. The ceremony held annually to honor those who served during the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. Date Shot: 7 Dec 2005. DoD photo by: JO2 RYAN C. MCGINLEY, USN.

US Marine Corps (USMC) Marines, 3rd Marine Regiment (MAR REGT), DoD photo by: JO2 RYAN C. MCGINLEY, USN.

Atlanta, GA (APR 8, 2016) – American Veterans for Equal Rights (AVER), the nation’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Veterans Service Organization, strongly condemns the discriminatory legislation passed by the North Carolina and Mississippi state legislatures which legalizes the denial of services to the many LGBT United States military personnel and veterans living in those states. Especially in North Carolina, home to the nation’s largest military base, Fort Bragg, and Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, these laws post a clear message to the honored LGBT Soldiers and Marines stationed in the state that “Your Kind Not Welcome.” The dedicated men and women who serve to defend our nation’s freedom deserve better than laws which undermine the very liberty they so faithfully protect. These laws hurt those who serve, hurt their families, and weaken communities. Such laws are unworthy of a free nation and a united people who value “liberty and justice for all.” 

 

AVER 25th Anniversary National Convention

I want to personally invite you along with all other American Veterans for Equal Rights members to join me at this spring’s

AVER 25th Anniversary National Convention

in Albuquerque/Santa Fe from 21 April to 24 April 2016!

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Now that the holidays are behind us, I encourage each of you to register for our AVER convention.  We are going to have a great convention as we work into AVER’s future and protect the fights we have won.  Maj Gen Patricia Rose, the highest ranking out service member, is our great keynote speaker and Colonel Margerethe Cammermeyer will be presented the Matlovich Award for her service and advocacy on behalf of LGBT veterans and service members.

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Veterans Day Events

IMPORTANT!

Chapter Presidents and Coordinators,

AVER is running a national advertising campaign in USA Today, next weekend.  USA Today sends a special Veterans Day insert in its paper to military bases, hotels, restaurants and newsstands across the country.  The advertisement was sent to you previously and is attached today.

American Veterans for Equal Rights_41158568

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Plan to Attend AVER’s 2016 National Convention

Plan Now to Attend AVER’s 2016 National Convention in Albuquerque

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The Bataan Chapter of American Veterans for Equal Rights is honored to announce AVER’s 2016 convention will be held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, April 21-24, 2016.

We are very excited to confirm the keynote speaker for the event will be US Air Force Major General Patricia A. Rose, Mobilization Assistant to the Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Engineering and Force Protection, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. General Rose is the highest ranking out officer in the United States Military, and she will be accompanied by her wife, Lieutenant Julie Roth, US Navy (retired) one of the first women to perform scientific duty in Antarctica and also among the first women in the Navy to achieve aircrew status. We are very proud to have this remarkable couple help lead our 2016 national convention.

MG Rose

Registration for the convention and hotel along with information regarding the convention will open on 15 Nov 2015. Please make plans now to attend what is sure to be one our most exciting and productive conventions in AVER’s 25+ years of service as America’s LGBT Veterans Service Organization.

Gay Man Nominated for Secretary of the Army

AMERICAN VETERANS FOR EQUAL RIGHTS

For Immediate Release Re: Gay Man Nominated for Secretary of the Army

President Obama has nominated Eric Fanning to be the new Secretary of the Army. If confirmed, he will be the first openly gay secretary of any service.

Mr. Fanning is currently serving as the acting Secretary of the Army. He has served in positions in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Navy and Air Force offices, and is well respected in the Pentagon.

LTC(R) Steve Loomis, national president of the American Veterans for Equal Rights welcomes Mr. Fanning’s nomination to this key position of leadership in our Army. “Eric Fanning is a highly capable and experienced person to lead our Army. While he is not the first gay person in positions of responsibility in the Pentagon, he is exceedingly qualified for this important top position. We offer our full support and wish him the best in his leadership of our largest military service.”

“This nomination demonstrates President Obama’s continuing commitment to our LGBT community,” said Danny Ingram, AVER past national president. “A review of Fanning’s extensive service in the Pentagon shows that he is imminently qualified to become the nation’s next Secretary of the Army. While AVER is extremely happy to see this nomination, the fact that he is a gay man is no more a factor for his selection than his race, age, or gender.”

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/