FOUR LGBTQ STORIES WORTH KNOWING
1. 10 YEARS SINCE "DON’T ASK DON’T TELL" REPEALED
Ten years ago, the discriminatory military policy "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" (DADT) was repealed by U.S. President Barack Obama. President Joe Biden, who championed the repeal during his time as Vice President, celebrated the ten-year anniversary and honored the countless LGBTQ service members who were discharged during DADT.
Under Secretary of the Air Force Gina Ortiz Jones, who is the first out lesbian to serve as under secretary of a military branch, recalled her time serving under DADT, saying “it’s really hard to truly wrap your head around the fear of living under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” The possibility that if someone found out about you, your entire life in the military could go away – that fear was a constant.”
And when it comes to righting the wrongs of DADT, there still much work to be done. LGBTQ veterans recently testified before a U.S. House subcommittee about the emotional trauma, toll on their mental health and lack of resources they still face.
Thanks to LGBTQ leaders in the U.S. Congress, a shift in policy is currently happening. The Department of Veterans Affairs changed their policy around LGBTQ veterans’ benefits, ensuring LGBTQ people discharged under DADT will finally receive their benefits. As U.S. Congressman Mark Takano, who chairs the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, noted the fight against discriminatory policies in the Armed Forces continues.
U.S. Representative Chris Pappas is working to pass the SERVE Act in the U.S. House, which would ensure these much-needed changes become permanent.
Interested in learning more? U.S. Admiral Michael Mullen, USN (Retired), Valerie Jarrett and Dr. Aaron Belkin joined Victory Institute during our 2020 International LGBTQ Leaders Conference to discuss their experience fighting to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”. Watch their full discussion here.
2. PRIDE AROUND THE WORLD
LGBTQ Victory Institute staff attended World Pride and served as executive partners of World Pride and the Inter-Parliamentary Plenary Assembly! We were joined by U.S. and international elected officials and were honor to host several panels on LGBTQ issues around the globe. Read up on our full World Pride trip here!
Our training in Peru, EMPODERA, started on September 20th! The LGBTI-EMPODERA Training School promotes effective participation in the political and social sphere of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and intersex (LGBTI) people who aspire to participate in the democratic processes of Peru. Over the next eight weeks, 35 LGBTQ leaders will be trained and attend virtual session with presentations given by leading political experts. Partner organizations in Honduras and Peru streamed our inaugural events on Facebook Live as well.
Don’t forget! Victory Institute is hosting our biennial LGBTI Political Leaders in the Americas Conference, the largest in the world to connect out LGBTI elected officials, advocates, public servants and allies with like-minded leaders to increase LGBTI political power. Come strategize, connect with and hear from amazing out leaders from across the Americas and the Caribbean. Join us online and connect with out leaders from around the continent. Translation will be provided, and registration is free!
3. CELEBRAING BISEXUAL AWARENESS WEEK
How are you celebrating bisexual leaders during Bisexual Awareness Week? Consider learning more about our current bisexual, pansexual and queer leaders!
According to LGBTQ Victory Institute’s 2021 Out for America report, bisexual elected officials make up only 7.1% of all currently-serving LGBTQ elected officials, while pansexual and queer elected officials make up 1.42% and 7.61%, respectively. While that’s a 37% increase from last year’s report, we still have a long way to go before bisexual people achieve parity among out LGBTQ elected officials.
And with parity comes greater acceptance. While bisexual people still face ostracization inside and outside the LGBTQ community (read up on the biphobic attacks on current candidate Christy Holstege’s campaign last year and her current thoughts here), the number of young people who identify as bisexual has been rising over the last several years.
4. MEET THE VCI FALL CLASS OF 2021!
Introducing the 2021 Fall Class of Victory Congressional Interns (VCIs)!
Our latest class will receive an extensive in-person and virtual weekly leadership development and mentorship series, including virtual, in-person and hybrid placements in congressional offices! They’ll be able to hear from partner organizations, Hill staff and more, learning how to advance LGBTQ equality at all levels of government! It's all part of our work to build a diverse pipeline of LGBTQ leaders who can successfully pursue careers in public service and be our voice in government.
Did we miss a headline? It happens sometimes! Reply to this email to let us know what we missed – we might feature it on our social media or in next month’s newsletter!
