A military watchdog sued the U.S. Air Force and the Department of Defense (DOD) Thursday to obtain records pertaining to an LGBT pride event hosted by the Pentagon in June 2024.
The Center to Advance Security in America (CASA) filed two lawsuits against the DOD and the Air Force to compel them to disclose communications, calendar entries and other records CASA requested through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) detailing the “13th annual Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning/Queer, and Intersex+ community (LGBTQIA) Pride event” held at the Pentagon.
CASA first submitted the FOIA requests on June 6th, 2024, but neither the DOD nor the Air Force have responded to the requests since their initial filing. The pride event appeared to be a commemorative affair that included speeches from top Pentagon personnel celebrating LGBT service members.
“Given the high priority the Biden DoD placed on LGBTQI+ advocacy, we are confused why the Department has not been more forthcoming regarding the release of records and communications involving the planning and implementation of their 13th Annual LGBTQI+ Pride Ceremony held on June 5, 2024.” CASA Director James Fitzpatrick told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “The American people have a right to know how much official military time and resources were being spent on these initiatives, particularly regarding specific planning conversations and duties related to this most recent signature event. This lawsuit will force the DoD to finally provide this information to the public.”
Under former President Joe Biden, LGBT initiatives ran amok in the Pentagon with the help of taxpayer dollars, but the Trump administration’s arrival has seemingly signaled an end to LGBT activism in the armed forces.
The Biden administration once dished out an $850,000 grant project, known as Centerstone’s LGBTQI+ Family Support Program (Family+), intending to provide “affirming interventions for 230 youth and their families” and train 100 staff in delivering “evidence-based interventions.” The administration also funded sex change surgeries for service members during its tenure, a policy which was promptly shot down in February by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who banned transgender-identifying troops as well and funding for sex change procedures and drugs.
Moreover, Biden also embraced other left-leaning initiatives in the armed forces, including diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies and providing reimbursement payments to service members who incurred costs for traveling out of state for an abortion. A study released by the Arizona State University Center for American Institutions in June found that the Pentagon’s current policies were hampering military readiness and creating a sense of divisiveness among service members.
The Air Force and the DOD declined to comment.
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