National
Service chiefs to testify on ‘Don’t Ask’ repeal
Full committee hearing follows subcommittee testimony
Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Amos (Photo courtesy dod.mil)
The House Armed Services Committee is scheduled on Thursday to hear testimony from the military service chiefs on the progress of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal implementation.
The uniform heads of the Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps are set to make an appearance before lawmakers: Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary R0ughead, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Amos and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz. Representing the Army will be Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Chiarelli.
The hearing — which is set to begin at 1 pm in Room 2118 in the Rayburn House Office Building — is scheduled to be split into two panels. Chiarelli is slated to speak during the first panel, while Roughead, Amos and Schwartz are set to speak during the second panel.
Some members of the Joint Staff — especially Amos, who said he feared that open service could cause a distraction that could lead to the loss of Marines’ lives — were against “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal when it came before Congress last year. However, each of the services issued guidance stating that they would proceed to implement repeal after Congress acted to lift military’s gay ban.
Rep. Buck McKeon (R-Calif.), chair of the committee, was among the most vocal opponents of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal last year and cast “no” votes on repeal measures both times they came to the House floor.
A spokesperson for the House Armed Services Committee didn’t respond on short notice to comment on the planned testimony or what McKeon hopes to accomplish with the hearing.
In December, President Obama signed legislation allowing for repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” but the anti-gay law will only be off the books following 60 days after the president, the defense secretary, and the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff certify the U.S military is ready for open service. Gay service members are still in danger of discharge from the armed services until the certification process is complete.
The scheduled hearing on Friday comes on the heels of a previous hearing the Republican-controlled House held last week on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal, which was before the House Armed Services personnel subcommittee. During the hearing, Pentagon officials said certification for open service could happen mid-summer while GOP lawmakers expressed discontent with moving toward an end to the military’s gay ban.
Those who worked to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” last year said they didn’t anticipate the upcoming hearing would have an impact on disrupting the process leading to implementing open service in the U.S. military.
Alex Nicholson, executive director of Servicemembers United, said the second hearing on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal before the Republican-controlled House “is yet another example of some of these legislators contradicting their own principles.”
“This issue has been settled, the Department of Defense has embraced this change, and trying to re-open this debate is a complete waste of both taxpayer money and the valuable time of these senior defense leaders in the midst of multiple overseas conflicts,” Nicholson said. “The Joint Staff has made it clear that prior predictions of doom and gloom following repeal were misguided and that their respective services are more than capable of handling this change in policy.”
Winnie Stachelberg, vice president for external affairs at the Center for American Progress, said she doesn’t anticipate “much to see” or “bumps in the road” at the upcoming hearing.
“We saw the trailer of the movie last week, and now we’re going to see the full-length film this week,” Stachelberg said. “The service chiefs are all on board, according to their recent public statements. And we’re on track, I think, for certification in the next few months — even before all the trainings are finished.”
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this posting incorrectly stated that hearing would take place on Friday.
Federal Government
US Census Bureau testing survey on LGBTQ households
Agency proposing questions about sexual orientation and gender identity
The U.S. Census Bureau is seeking public comment on a proposed test of sexual orientation and gender identity questions on the American Community Survey. The test would begin this summer and continue into next year.
The Census Bureau published the request as a Federal Register notice. In its press release the agency noted that the ACS is an ongoing survey that collects detailed housing and socioeconomic data. It allows the Census Bureau to provide timely and relevant housing and socioeconomic statistics, even for low levels of geography.
As part of the process for adding new questions to the ACS, the Census Bureau tests potential questions to evaluate the quality of the data collected.
The Census Bureau proposes testing questions about sexual orientation and gender identity to meet the needs of other federal agencies that have expressed interest in or have identified legal uses for the information, such as enforcing civil rights and equal employment measures.
The test would follow the protocols of the actual ACS — with one person asked to respond to the survey on behalf of the entire household. These particular questions are asked about people 15 years of age or older. Households are invited to respond to the survey online, by paper questionnaire or by phone.
The current Federal Register notice gives the public a final opportunity to provide feedback before the Census Bureau submits its recommendations to the Office of Management and Budget for approval. The public may provide feedback through May 30 online.
The White House
Judy Shepard to receive Presidential Medal of Freedom
Nancy Pelosi is also among this year’s honorees
Beloved LGBTQ advocate Judy Shepard is among the 19 honorees who will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the U.S., the White House announced on Friday.
The mother of Matthew Shepard, who was killed in 1998 in the country’s most notorious anti-gay hate crime, she co-founded the Matthew Shepard Foundation with her husband Dennis to raise awareness about anti-LGBTQ violence.
The organization runs education, outreach, and advocacy programs, many focused on schools.
In a statement shared via the Human Rights Campaign, Shepard said, “This unexpected honor has been very humbling for me, Dennis, and our family. What makes us proud is knowing our President and our nation share our lifelong commitment to making this world a safer, more loving, more respectful, and more peaceful place for everyone.
“I am grateful to everyone whose love and support for our work through the years has sustained me.
“If I had the power to change one thing, I can only dream of the example that Matt’s life and purpose would have shown, had he lived. This honor reminds the world that his life, and every life, is precious.”
Shepard was instrumental in working with then-President Barack Obama for passage of the landmark Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act in 2009, which was led in the House by then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who will also be honored with a Presidential Medal of Freedom during the ceremony on Friday.
Also in 2009, Shepard published a memoir, “The Meaning of Matthew: My Son’s Murder in Laramie, and a World Transformed,” and was honored with the Black Tie Dinner Elizabeth Birch Equality Award.
“Judy Shepard has been a champion for equality and President Biden’s choice to honor her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom is a testament to what she’s done to be a force of good in the world,” HRC President Kelley Robinson said in a statement.
“A mother who turned unspeakable grief over the loss of her son into a decades-long fight against anti-LGBTQ+ hatred and violence, Judy continues to make a lasting impact in the lives of the LGBTQ+ community,” she said.
“It is because of her advocacy that the first federal hate crimes legislation became law and that countless life-saving trainings, resources and conversations about equality and acceptance are provided each year by the Matthew Shepard Foundation,” Robinson said. “We are honored that Judy is a member of the HRC family and know that her work to create a more inclusive and just world will only continue.”
Other awardees who will be honored by the White House this year are: Actor Michelle Yeoh, entrepreneur and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Jesuit Catholic priest Gregory Boyle, Assistant House Democratic Leader Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), former Labor and Education Secretary and former U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-N.C.), journalist and former daytime talkshow host Phil Donahue, World War II veteran and civil rights activist Medgar Evers (posthumous), former Vice President Al Gore, civil rights activist and lawyer Clarence B. Jones, former Secretary of State and U.S. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), former U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) (posthumous), Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky, educator and activist Opal Lee, astronaut and former director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center Ellen Ochoa, astronomer Jane Rigby, United Farm Workers President Teresa Romero, and Olympic athlete Jim Thorpe (posthumous).
National
United Methodist Church removes 40-year ban on gay clergy
Delegates also voted for other LGBTQ-inclusive measures
The United Methodist Church on Wednesday removed a ban on gay clergy that was in place for more than 40 years, voting to also allow LGBTQ weddings and end prohibitions on the use of United Methodist funds to “promote acceptance of homosexuality.”
Overturning the policy forbidding the church from ordaining “self-avowed practicing homosexuals” effectively formalized a practice that had caused an estimated quarter of U.S. congregations to leave the church.
The New York Times notes additional votes “affirming L.G.B.T.Q. inclusion in the church are expected before the meeting adjourns on Friday.” Wednesday’s measures were passed overwhelmingly and without debate. Delegates met in Charlotte, N.C.
According to the church’s General Council on Finance and Administration, there were 5,424,175 members in the U.S. in 2022 with an estimated global membership approaching 10 million.
The Times notes that other matters of business last week included a “regionalization” plan, which gave autonomy to different regions such that they can establish their own rules on matters including issues of sexuality — about which international factions are likelier to have more conservative views.
Rev. Kipp Nelson of St. Johns’s on the Lake Methodist Church in Miami shared a statement praising the new developments:
“It is a glorious day in the United Methodist Church. As a worldwide denomination, we have now publicly proclaimed the boundless love of God and finally slung open the doors of our church so that all people, no matter their identities or orientations, may pursue the calling of their hearts.
“Truly, all are loved and belong here among us. I am honored to serve as a pastor in the United Methodist Church for such a time as this, for our future is bright and filled with hope. Praise be, praise be.”
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