WASHINGTON, D.C. – Servicemembers United issued the following statement today on the White House’s refusal to allow a civilian representative of gay and lesbian military families to be present at First Lady Michelle Obama’s and Dr. Jill Biden’s “Military Families Initiative” kick-off event at the White House:
“It is rather unfortunate that both East Wing and West Wing staff have refused to allow a representative of gay military families to even be in the room at an event that is supposed to honor their commitment and sacrifice,” said Alexander Nicholson, Executive Director of Servicemembers United. “We have been trying for nearly two weeks to get just one spot for one of our community’s representatives at this event. The First Lady’s office has used the continued enforcement of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ as an excuse to exclude us, even though they know that ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ does not apply to the civilians who work at their advocacy and service organizations. Many straight organizational representatives have been invited to this event, including some with few or no military families in their constituencies. Yet our thousands of gay military families are shut out from being represented today because of nothing but lingering political homophobia. Gay and lesbian military families should not have to fight this hard just to stand in the back of the room in 2011.”
For more information about Servicemembers United and the gay military community, please visit our new home on the web at www.servicemembers.org.