At an official Pentagon Pride Month event at the Pentagon on Wednesday, top defense and military leaders intervened in politics and denounced “anti-LGBTQ” legislation.
“LGBTQ+ and other diverse communities are under attack simply because they are different. Hate for the sake of hate,” Gilbert R. Cisneros Jr., the Pentagon’s top civilian personnel officer, said at the ceremony. rice field. “But we must be united and prepared to face such challenges directly.”
U.S. Space Command Chief Operations Officer Lt. Gen. Deanna Bart has suggested that “anti-LGBTQ+” bills are “dangerous” for military personnel.
Transformational culture change requires top leadership, but there is no time to wait. Since January of this year, more than 400 anti-LGBTQ+ laws have been introduced at the state level. Their numbers are on the rise, pointing to a potential hazard to military personnel, their families, and the readiness of the force as a whole.
Cisneros is the Biden administration’s political appointee, but since it is customary for rank-and-file officers to avoid getting involved in politics to avoid tarnishing the apolitical reputation of the military as a whole, Burt comment was unusual.
Rebecca Heinrichs, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and a member of the National Independent Panel on Military Service and Readiness, commented on Burt’s remarks that “@SpaceForceDoD is 100% inappropriate.”
100% inappropriate @SpaceForceDoD https://t.co/7tWvi6Uj7o
— Rebecca Heinrichs (@RLHeinrichs) June 7, 2023
Bart also suggested that the military’s “personal circumstances” would affect command assignments.
When I look at potential candidates, for example squadron commanders, I strive to match the right people to the right jobs. I put their job performance and related experience first. However, I also look at their personal circumstances. And their family is also an important factor. People who are fit for the job don’t feel safe to be themselves or perform their best in a particular place, or their families may be denied essential medical care due to state laws if there is. I am forced to consider another candidate, perhaps a less qualified candidate.
Other speakers at the official event, though not military personnel, also made blatantly political comments.
Rudy Coutts, senior military employee and chairman of the Department of Defense Pride, said at the event, “Drugs aren’t dangerous. It’s entertainment. If you’re a fan, tip your local drag queen. If you’re not a fan, don’t go.” But please don’t take away from us the opportunity to enjoy something that is part of LGBTQ culture and is actually part of American culture at this point.”
Coutts’ comments come days after Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, under pressure from Rep. Matt Gates (R-Florida), effectively banned drag shows at military bases.
And Dixon Osborne, a former Pentagon official and now executive director of the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, explicitly condemned Florida’s parental rights in education bill, which Democrats dubbed the “don’t say gay bill.” . The custody bill prohibits teachers from discussing sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade.
“Today we see a resurgence of anti-LGBTQ laws,” he said. “Just as the majority of Americans thought Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was good policy, the majority of bipartisan Floridians thought ‘Don’t Say Gay’ was a good bill. I believe that just as the American public does not understand the dire consequences of “Don’t Tell,” so too do many Floridians understand the dire consequences of “Don’t Say Gay.” I argue that teachers, children, and librarians do not understand. We had to make a case. “
The Biden Department of Defense has come under heavy scrutiny from congressional Republicans who say it focuses too much on “diversity, equity and inclusivity” instead of military readiness. Senate Republicans last yearThe Biden Department of Defense says it spent nearly 6 million “man-hours” on DEI training. in a year.
Pentagon leaders claim that time is less than the military spends on other combat techniques.
But Bert argued at the event that “diversity and inclusion” will enhance the battle.
“Diversity and inclusion are both force multipliers and are battle imperatives that enable competitive advantage over adversaries,” she argued. “We must bring together the best and brightest people across the country to develop and sustain a force that is as diverse as the challenges we face as a nation.”
The event ended by claiming that transgender soldiers would die if transgender soldiers were not supported.
The Department of Defense does not have statistics on the number of transgender soldiers currently on duty, but the now-defunct Palm Center Estimate A total of 14,700 transgender people served in the military in 2018, with 2.5 million (about 0.6%) serving in the military at the time.
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