Dems demand answers on Pentagon not recognizing Pride MonthThe Hill, Jun 29, 2018, Rebecca Kheel
A group of House Armed Services Committee Democrats is demanding answers from the Pentagon on why it is “backing away†from its annual Pride celebration.
“We write to express our concern that Pentagon leadership is backing away from supporting and celebrating lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) service members and Department of Defense (DoD) employees,†the eight Democrats wrote in a letter to Defense Secretary James Mattis. “The fight for dignity and inclusion for LGBT individuals in our Armed Forces should remain a steadfast priority for the Department of Defense.â€
This year, for the first time since the 2011 repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,†the Pentagon did not issue a memo officially recognizing June as Pride Month. Without the official recognition, the Pentagon’s Office of Diversity Management and Equal Opportunity did not issue posters and other materials to mark the occasion as it has done in the past.
The Pentagon’s LGBT employee group did hold its annual celebration earlier this month. No senior official was on stage, though Army Sgt. Maj. Daniel Dailey and Vee Penrod, acting secretary for manpower and reserve affairs, attended.
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http://thehill.com/policy/defense/394822-democrats-demand-answers-on-pentagon-not-recognizing-pride-month