American Veterans for Equal Rights is proud to join with the Human Rights Campaign and Servicemembers Legal Defense Network in recognizing the contributions of all GLBT veterans by sharing our stories.

Every story is important in educating members of Congress, the Administration, and the public on the valuable contributions made by LGBT people who served in the Armed Forces of our great country.

American Veterans for Equal Rights is in full support of this effort. Please show your support by sharing your story with us. Click the link above, and Thank You for serving our Country!

If you served in the U.S. Armed Forces during a period of war, you are eligible for a special program that will allow your personal history and record of service to be stored in the permanent archives of the U.S. Library of Congress. AVER is an official partner to the Library of Congress Veterans History Project, which was created by the U.S. Congress in 2000 to collect videotaped and tape-recorded oral histories of veterans and civilians who contributed to the nation’s defense during World War I, World War II, and the Korean, Vietnam, and Persian Gulf Wars. More information about this project is available through the link above.

It is absolutely vital that the contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) veterans be recorded and archived for future generations of historical researchers. Our partnership with this project provides us with a unique opportunity to educate the American public on the contributions of LGBT servicemembers. All AVER officers and all eligible veterans are called upon to facilitate this effort.

Palm Springs VETERANS MEMORIAL

The first monument specifically dedicated to the memory of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered veterans was dedicated on Memorial Day, 27 May, 2001, through the cooperative efforts of AMVETS Post 66 and Palm Springs Gay Veterans.

Click to see the dedicatory program for the Palm Springs Memorial and Pictures from the dedication.

Phoenix VETERANS MEMORIAL

Thanks to the efforts of the Arizona Rainbow Veterans, the first memorial that includes gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered veterans has been placed in a National Cemetery. The officials in the National Cemetery Association accepted the design and authorized the donation of this memorial for GLBT Veterans of the US Armed Forces. This memorial is now located in the National Cemetery in Phoenix, Arizona. The boulder-shaped monument of rainbow granite bears the original GLBVA logo. Dedication of the monument took place on Veterans’ Day, 11 November, 2000.

Dedicatory Program
Welcome and Convocation Address by the President of Arizona Rainbow Veterans
“The Charge of Remembrance”, an address by the National President of AVER.
The text of the Reverend Patrick Stout’s Dedication Address is available here by his kind permission.

IN MEMORY OF ALL
VETERANS
WHO SERVED WITH COURAGE
AND PRIDE

The Arizona Rainbow Memorial

In 1998 veterans in Phoenix wanted to honor American veterans with a wreath laying ceremony. In the search for an appropriate place to pay tribute and honor our fallen comrades, we realized that the only memorials at the National Cemetery in Arizona were by groups such as American legion, who are adamantly opposed to glbt service in the military.

Some of us wondered why there was no memorial for gays, and why we couldn’t have one. After consulting with the Cemetery Director and using guidelines for Memorial design, we designed, created, and paid for our own. One that truly includes all veterans, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Designers of the Rainbow Veterans Memorial included; Rowe Babcock, Franc Gaxiola, Monica Helms, Don Porter, Ben Rolfe, Nick Shinstine, Wally Straughn, and Calvin Va ness. Donors from across the United States have contributed to the success of this effort.

It is with deep honor that the Arizona Rainbow Veterans dedicate the Rainbow Veterans Memorial to all gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender veterans and their loved ones.

Franc Gaxiola

Franc Gaxiola
President, Arizona Rainbow Veterans

Opening Prayer
Rev. Charles Coppinger
Chaplain, Arizona State Legislature

Rev. Patrick Stout
Pastor, Community Church of Hope

Pictures of the Memorial Wreath Presentation
Wreath donated by Rocky Mountain Chapter, GLBVA

Jim Donovan

President, Gay, Lesbian & Bisexual Veterans of America

Rev. Charles Coppinger
Chaplain, Arizona State Legislature

James Donovan (left), National President of GLBVA, and Wally Straughn (right), originator of the Monument, pay tribute to the memory of those who have fallen.