Gay Advocacy Group Upset About White House Rejection
April 14, 2011 by Personal Liberty News Desk
Although Congress approved the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) last December, a gay military advocacy group still got the cold shoulder from the Federal government this week.
According to media reports, Servicemembers United was not allowed to attend the launch of a military families initiative hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House. Officials said that the policy banning openly gay individuals from serving in the military has not come into effect yet, which is why the advocacy group was left out of the April 12 event.
However, Servicemembers United Director Alexander Nicholson said that the organization is disappointed with the White House's explanation. He told FOX News that no member who is currently enlisted or subject to DADT was going to attend the gathering, which he described as the first major military event since the repeal vote.
"We thought it natural to request to be included and expected to be included, honestly, given the administration's rhetoric," Nicholson told the news source.
The United States Armed Forces is preparing for the repeal to go into effect, as the four branches have issued training materials about the policy to approximately 2.2 million active-duty and reserve personnel, according to The Washington Post.
Last week, Gen. James Amos, who had opposed Obama's plan to repeal DADT, reported to Congress that the transition has proceeded smoothly thus far in the Marines.
"There hasn’t been the recalcitrance or push-back. There has not been the anxiety over it from the forces in the field," Amos told the House Armed Services Committee, quoted by the media outlet.
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