The Defense Department has given its blessing to allow LGBT service members to march in this weekend’s San Diego Pride Parade in uniform, confirming preliminary permission granted by the regional Navy command.
“Based on our current knowledge of the event and existing policies,” read a memo sent Thursday by the Assistant Secretary of Defense, “we hereby are granting approval for service members in uniform to participate in this year’s parade, provided service members participate in their personal capacity and ensure the adherence to Military Service standards of appearance and wear of the military uniform.”
Since members of the Armed Forces are not allowed to represent their branch of service while fundraising or engaging in political campaigning, there was some question as to whether a Pride march constituted a “political statement.”
San Diego LGBT Pride Executive Director Dwayne Crenshaw called the announcement the sign of a “great day,” but maintained there was still more work to be done: “The fight for equality is not over and it is not easy, but this is a giant leap in the right direction.”
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Michael Bedwell
Hooray for progress! Now that San Diego Pride is actually making history, perhaps they’ll stop MAKING UP history, as in their continuing claim that last years participation by gay and lesbian service members in civilian clothes was THE FIRST TIME IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE. Though they acknowledge that it HAS been done before—as in 1975 when Air Force TSgt. Leonard Matlovich—the first to purposely out himself to fight the ban—and three other active duty gays marched in New York’s Pride Parade and were featured speakers at the rally afterwards in Central Park—they insist those pioneers don’t count because they weren’t “large enough to count as a ‘contingent’.” They must get their definitions from the same one-of-a-kind dictionary that Mitt Romney does with his claim that for over “3000 years of human history,” marriage has been defined as “a relationship between one man and one woman”—when, in fact, his own great grand pappy had five wives, and his great, great grand pappy had TWELVE. Self-aggrandizing organizers aside, we’re proud of every participant, active duty or discharged/retired veteran, and thank them for their service to our country!