Gay servicemembers and vets lineup to march in the San Diego Pride Parade on Saturday, July 16, 2011 (Photo by Rex Wockner)
The Defense Department on Thursday announced it is allowing service members to march in uniform in a gay pride parade for the first time in U.S. history.
In a memorandum sent to all its branches, the department said it was making the allowance for San Diego’s gay pride parade on Saturday even though its policy generally bars troops from marching in uniform in parades.
The Defense Department said it did so because organizers had encouraged military personnel to march in their uniform and the event was getting national attention…..
Last year, San Diego’s gay pride parade had the nation’s largest contingency of active-duty troops participate before the military lifted its ban on openly gay service members. About 200 service members last year wore T-shirts with
Former sailor Sean Sala, who organized the military’s participation in the parade, said he wanted service members to wear their official uniform this year to show there is no longer anything to hide.
“My soul is on fire,” he said after hearing the news Thursday. “They don’t fight in T-shirts. They fight in uniforms. This is about showing who they are.”
The Pentagon said the allowance is only for this year’s parade in San Diego and does not extend beyond that. Military personnel wearing civilian clothes do not need permission to march in any parades.
The Defense Department policy says personnel cannot march in parades in uniform unless they receive approval from their commanding officers or other Pentagon-approved authorities.
Sala believes there will be no going back after Saturday. He said he has reached his dream in seeing the U.S. military sanction participation in a gay pride parade, as the armed forces have done in Canada and Great Britain.
Check out Rex Wockner’s coverage of the gays-in-the-military marching in last year’s parade.
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What a refreshing announcement from the Department of Defense. 15 years after the City of Los Angeles supposedly barred discrimination on the basis if sexual orientation, the LAPD went after Sgt. Mitch Grobeson for wearing his uniform at the Pride Parade in West Hollywood and suspended him. We got that suspension — and another six month suspension imposed by the LAPD on Grobeson for wearing his LAPD uniform in a photo published to publicize an AIDS memorial for a fellow officer (!) — overturned before a Republican judge. But rather than settle, the “Love Me, Love Me I’m a Liberal” LA City Council continues to spend millions paying fees to politically connected law firms to defend these and related outrages.
Absolute disgrace to the uniformed services you wanna be a faggot fine don’t disrespect the uniform. THe military isn’t a bunch of soft queers. The law passed to openly serve is a disgrace and our bigger president is the start of many problems to come. You should all be ashamed and
Hope you burn I’n hell. It’s disgusting dust tasteful and gross show some
Honor , especially while I’n uniform you flamboyant faggots.
Usmc pride is an oxymoron. When you sober up, please explain how this is any different from wearing a uniform while marching in a St. Patrick’s Day, Columbus Day or Mardi Gras Parade. You need major work on our grammar, and spelling. Given the level of your discourse, after you have attended an anger management course, recommend you go back to grade school. No Marine would ever call his commander and chief a “bigger.”