What Is The Russian Reaction To The U.S. Debate And Coverage On President Trump's Decision To Ban Transgenders From Serving In The Military

Graphic by Samantha Lee (Business Insider)

Business Insider:  'What is going on in soulless USA?': Russian media fawned over Trump's transgender ban

In a country where a TV station once said it'd buy its gay citizens "a one-way ticket overseas," Russian media followed Trump's tweets about banning transgender people from serving in the US military closely.

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump tweeted that transgender individuals would not be permitted to serve in the US military "in any capacity" due to the "tremendous medical costs and disruption" their service would allegedly cause.

If implemented, the move would be a direct reversal of former President Barack Obama's 2016 decision to allow people of all genders to serve openly.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: I am right now in Montreal, and the coverage here and in the U.S. is (especially yesterday) overwhelming. It's one of the top 3 stories .... and IMHO very negative towards President Trump (overwhelmingly negative in Canada). According to the above Business Insider story .... this story is also being covered extensively in Russia. I checked my Russian news sites, blogs, social media favourites, etc .... and yes .... the story is being covered .... but the coverage is spotty and what is being posted is buried in the back pages. On Russian social media .... at least those sites that interest me .... it is being ignored.

Hat tip to Fred for the above Business Insider link.

Is There A Kurdish LGBT Military Unit Fighting Against The Islamic State?

Kurdish forces fighting ISIS have formed the first LGBT fighting unit to fight the terror group in northern Syria

Daily Mail: 'These faggots kill fascists': Army of international volunteers form first LGBT fighting unit to 'smash the ISIS caliphate' as photos show them raising rainbow flag in Raqqa

* Creation of Queer Insurrection and Liberation Army, or TQILA, was announced
* Group exists to 'smash the gender binary... and advance the sexual revolution'
* Believed to be fighting for International Revolutionary People's Guerrilla Forces
* TQILA said it could not stand by as ISIS punished and killed homosexuals in Syria

Kurdish forces fighting ISIS have formed the first LGBT fighting unit to fight the terror group in northern Syria.

The Queer Insurrection and Liberation Army, or TQILA, exists to 'smash the gender binary... and advance the sexual revolution', according to an online statement announcing its creation.

It continued: 'The images of gay men being thrown off roofs and stoned to death by Deash [ISIS] was something we could not idly watch.'

The statement was released by the International Revolutionary People's Guerrilla Forces (IRPGF), an anarchist movement made up of foreign fighters battling ISIS alongside a Kurdish militia known as the YPG.

Read more ....

Update #1: 'The Queer Insurrection': Coalition forces fighting Isis in Syria form first LGBT unit (The Independent)
Update #2: 'These faggots kill fascists': LGBT+ army TQILA are taking the fight to Isis (International Business Times)

WNU Editor: Who to believe? The Western press is saying yes, that there is such a unit .... but Kurdish authorities are calling this a bogus story .... Kurdish-led forces deny reports of LGBT unit fighting IS in Syria (Kurdistan 24).

U.S. Intelligence Is Now Embracing LGBT Spies

Reuters: 'Secret agents of change' say U.S. intelligence embracing LGBT spies

A U.S. intelligence community that once forced out gays and lesbians for security reasons now sees inclusivity as the best way to protect the country, and seeks to recruit spies from a wider talent pool that includes the LGBT community.

At a session titled America’s LGBT Spies (Secret Agents of Change) held at the South by Southwest tech summit in Austin, Texas, the panelists said for the U.S. intelligence community - with a $60 billion-plus budget and more than 100,000 employees - to attract the best talent, it must embrace diversity.

"We are not the organization of your grandfathers. We have gone from a very dark and closed environment to a very welcoming and open environment," said Tracey Ballard, technical intelligence officer with the Central Intelligence Agency, who came out as a lesbian in 1988.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: The times are definitely changing.

President Obama Nominates The First Openly Gay Civilian To The Post Of Secretary Of The Army

Photo: Eric Fanning has been nominated for Secretary of the Army. USAF

Washington Post: Obama to nominate first openly gay service secretary to lead the Army

President Obama, in a historic first for the Pentagon, has chosen to nominate Eric Fanning to lead the Army, a move that would make him the first openly gay civilian secretary of one of the military services.

Fanning’s nomination is the latest in a series of actions taken by the administration to advance the rights of gays and lesbians throughout the federal government. The Obama administration has overhauled internal policies to provide benefits to same-sex partners, appointed gay men and lesbians to the executive branch and the federal bench and ended the 18-year ban on gays serving openly in the military.

Fanning, who must still be confirmed by the Senate, has been a specialist on defense and national security issues for more than 25 years in Congress and the Pentagon. As Army secretary, he would be partnered with Gen. Mark Milley, who took over as the Army’s top general in August. Together the two men would assume responsibility for the Pentagon’s largest and most troubled service.

WNU Editor: What I find interesting about this story is how the main stream media is going ga-ga in covering it .... I know that if he was straight his nomination would not be even be mentioned. I guess I should not be surprised .... social issues like this one are far more important to many in the main stream media than covering stories like this one .... Army lays out plan to cut 40,000 soldiers (Army Times).

More News On President Obama Nominating The First Openly Gay Civilian To The Post Of Secretary Of The Army

Eric Fanning, Civilian Adviser, Named Secretary of the Army -- NYT
Obama to Nominate Eric Fanning for Army, Would Be 1st Openly Gay Service Chief -- NBC
Obama Pick Would Be First Openly Gay Service Chief -- AP
Obama to Nominate First Openly Gay Leader of Army -- Time
Obama Eric Fanning Army Nomination: Gay Civilian Recommended To Be Secretary Of Military Branch -- IBTimes
Obama Nominates Fanning as US Army Secretary -- Defense News

Top U.S. Coast Guard Admiral: President Obama Threatened All Military Leaders In The Oval Office To Accept Gays In The Military Or Resign

President Obama signs DADT certification. Official White House photo by Pete Souza.

Obama Told Military Leaders: Accept Gays In Military Or Step Down, Admiral Says -- Buzz Feed

In a 2010 meeting in the Oval Office, the president told service chiefs they could “go do other things” if they didn’t support abolishing DADT, Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Robert Papp said.

In a meeting with the heads of the five service branches in 2010, President Obama offered the leaders a choice: Support my efforts to end the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, or resign, the Commandant of the Coast Guard said.

In a video obtained by BuzzFeed via a Freedom of Information Act request, Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Robert Papp revealed that Obama was unwilling to compromise with service leaders over DADT during a meeting in 2010. “We were called into the Oval Office and President Obama looked all five service chiefs in the eye and said, ‘This is what I want to do.’ I cannot divulge everything he said to us, that’s private communications within the Oval Office, but if we didn’t agree with it — if any of us didn’t agree with it — we all had the opportunity to resign our commissions and go do other things,” he said.

Read more ....

My Comment: So much for then-Senator Obama promise that he wouldn’t make support of DADT’s repeal “a litmus test” for his military leaders. “What I want are members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who are making decisions based on what strengthens our military and what is going to make us safer, not ideology.” (In answer to the third question from the Advocate).

U.S. Soldiers Are Using Craiglist To Have Sex With Each Other In Afghanistan

The soldiers use the 'casual encounters' section of the Iraq Cragislist page. Many post sexually explicit pictures with their ads

U.S. Soldiers In Afghanistan Using Craigslist To Have Sex With Each Other On Base -- Daily Mail

U.S. soldiers deployed to Afghanistan are using Craigslist to meet and have sex with each other on bases across the war-torn country, leading to concerns about a breakdown in discipline overseas.

Military commanders have forbade any service members who are not married to each other from having sex while deployed to the combat zone. As a result, each of the covert meetings is a violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

The vast majority of the posts on Craigslist involve male soldiers seeking sex with other men - a practice that could have resulted in the discharge of both parities from the military under Don't Ask Don't Tell, which barred gays in the armed forces.

Read more ....

Update: U.S. soldiers use online site to have sex with each other in Afghanistan -- Khaama Press

My Comment: I suspect that this is just the tip of the iceberg on what is happening (sexually speaking) in Afghanistan.

After Today's U.S. Supreme Court Ruling, Gay Troops' Spouses Can Be Buried At Arlington

We will move very swiftly, expeditiously, on implementing the law," Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said.

Post-DOMA: Gay Troops' Spouses Can Be Buried at Arlington -- US News and World Report

Pentagon still studying cost, extent of federal benefits to same-sex spouses.

The spouses of gay and lesbian service members will be among those to receive federal benefits, including burial at Arlington National Cemetery, the Pentagon announced Wednesday, hours after the Supreme Court overturned the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act.

The Defense Department does not, however, yet know how much these benefits will cost, how it will pay for them or whether they will all extend to service members in states that do not allow gay marriage.

"We will move very swiftly, expeditiously, on implementing the law," Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said during a Wednesday afternoon press briefing. "We think it's the right decision."

Read more ....

My Comment: The times are a changing.

Pentagon To Move Quickly On Gay-Marriage Benefits

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke with reporters at the Pentagon, June 26, 2013. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo

Pentagon To Extend Benefits To Gay Couples In Wake Of DOMA Ruling -- Washington Times

The U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) on Wednesday has cleared the way for military members and their same-sex domestic partners to receive the same federal benefits as heterosexual married couples.

“The Department of Defense intends to make the same benefits available to all military spouses — regardless of sexual orientation — as soon as possible. That is now the law, and it is the right thing to do,” Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said in a statement.

After a 25-day waiting period for Supreme Court decisions, the Pentagon will make available to heterosexual and homosexual married couples benefits such as access to on-base services, health care and accompanied assignments, in which military personnel travel with their spouses.

Read more ....

More News On The Pentagon Moving Quickly On Gay-Marriage Benefits

Hagel: Defense Department Welcomes Supreme Court Decision -- US Department of Defense
Hagel Says Pentagon to Move Quickly on Gay-Marriage Benefits -- Bloomberg
Pentagon moves to extend benefits to gay spouses -- USA Today
Pentagon Extends Benefits to Same-Sex Spouses -- Wall Street Journal

White House Official: The Country Is “Safer” Now That Homosexuals May Serve Openly In The Military

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel shakes hands with Valerie Jarrett, senior advisor to President Barack Obama, after introducing her at a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Month event at the Pentagon, June 25, 2013. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo

Pentagon Celebrates Gay Troops -- Washington Times

The Pentagon on Tuesday toasted gays in the military, with a top adviser to President Obama declaring the country is “safer” now that homosexuals may serve openly.

“Because we repealed ‘don’t ask, don’t tell,’ our military … is stronger and our country is safer, more equal and more just,” said Valerie Jarrett, the keynote speaker at the Pentagon’s gay pride celebration.

It was the Defense Department second annual gay pride gathering since September 2011, when Mr. Obama signed the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” a ban on gays serving openly in the military implemented during the Clinton administration.

This year’s 35-minute event in the Pentagon auditorium was more low-key and shorter than last year’s pride event, which featured a gay Marine officer, an Air Force lawyer and a lesbian West Point graduate.

Read more ....

My Comment: I would wager that for most soldiers this issue is waaayyyy down on the bottom of issues that concerns them. But for official Washington this IS the issue. Talk about a disconnect .... or am I the one who is divorced from this new reality?

DOD Produces Special Poster For LGBT Month

DOD Produces Special Poster for Transgender, Bisexual, Lesbian and Gay Pride -- CNS News

(CNSNews.com) - On Tuesday, June 25, the U.S. Defense Department will give special recognition to "gay, lesbian and bisexual servicemembers"--as well as gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender civilian workers--for their "dedicated service to our country."

And this year, "Pride Month" at the Defense Department comes with a poster:

The red, white and blue poster -- designed for the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute located at Patrick Air Force Base in Florida -- includes the followiong quotation from President Barack Obama:

Read more ....

My Comment: This is a priority?

First Gay Pride Event At The Pentagon

Pentagon Holds First Gay Pride Event -- Washington Times

The Pentagon on Tuesday saluted open gays in the ranks, with a civilian lawyer calling on fellow homosexuals to “stretch a little” and become more visible inside the military in the drive for benefits for same-sex couples.

“We need to be as visible as we can be,” Gordon Tanner, principal deputy general counsel of the Air Force, said at the Defense Department’s first gay pride event. “Let us be a bridge to our straight allies.”

Read more ....

More News On The First Gay Pride Event At The Pentagon

Pentagon Celebrates Gay Pride Month Without Rainbow Flags -- Bloomberg Businessweek
In a first, Pentagon celebrates gay pride -- AFP
Gay Marine goes from being ‘in the closet’ to drinking champagne at White House -- Washington post/AP

Pentagon To Hold Its First Gay Pride Event Later This Month

Pentagon Plans To Hold Gay Pride Month Event -- The Hill

The Pentagon is planning to hold an event celebrating Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Pride month.

The move comes less than a year after the Defense Department’s “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy toward gay and lesbian service members was repealed.

Pentagon spokeswoman Eileen Lainez said the Pentagon is planning its first event for LGBT Pride month, which will be held later in June. Details about the event had yet to be finalized, she said.

Read more ....

Update #1: Pentagon to mark gay pride month -- AP
Update #2: Pentagon announces gay pride celebration in recognition of troops -- The Guardian

My Comment: With all the problems and crisis that we have to face .... this is what some in the Pentagon believe we should be focused on. I call this a misdirection of limited resources .... but I suspect that my opinion is a minority within the Pentagon elite.

After One Year, Troops On The Front Line Reflect On 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'

'Out' On The Front Lines: Troops Reflect On 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' -- ABC News

For many gays and lesbians in the military, the end of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy barring them from serving openly has put an end to the distraction of living in fear, allowing them -- as one said -- to "focus on the mission."

It was a year ago this past week that President Obama signed into law a repeal of "don't ask, don't tell."

Although that ended the legal underpinnings for the ban on openly gay troops, it was only on Sept. 20 that the nearly 18-year-old policy was fully repealed.

Read more ....

My Comment: Personally .... a person's sexual orientation has always been on the bottom of my "do I really care" list, but I have always found the coverage of it from the main stream media to be revealing .... especially on the military. Case in point .... the above ABC News story. The entire story is done from a "gay perspective" .... with no input from "straights" who may have a different perspective. I am sure there are a couple of reasons why this is not done, the main one probably being a lack of participants who know that talking against it publicly will have consequences since you would be defying the orders from your Commander in Chief. Still .... I have always tried my best to present both sides of an issue and I would like to hear what is the opposite point of view .... especially from those who are serving on the front lines.

A First For The U.S. Navy

Women's First Kiss At Homecoming A First For Navy, Too -- Pilot Online

It's Wednesday morning around 10:30 when the Oak Hill finally comes into view, its steel-gray bow peeking out from behind a grove of green trees at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek.

It's been three months since the dock landing ship left home for Central America, and all of the usual fanfare is waiting to greet its crew: crowds of cheering families, toddlers dressed in sailor suits, and the lucky, excited woman who's been chosen to take part in a time-honored Navy tradition - the first homecoming kiss.

Read more ....

My Comment: The media "over-coverage" may have been a bit too much .... but then again .... the times are a changing.

A New Mission For Some U.S. Marines

Master Sgt. Anthony Henry, center, and Staff Sgt. Chris Cano told one prospective applicant she needed to lose weight. Michael Stravato for The New York Times

Marines Hit The Ground Running In Seeking Recruits At Gay Center -- New York Times

TULSA, Okla. — Master Sgt. Anthony Henry, a top Marine recruiting trainer for the southwestern United States, pulled up to Tulsa’s biggest gay community center on Tuesday morning and left his Chevy where he could make a fast getaway. “I have an exit strategy,” he said. “I know where my choke points are, I’ve strategically parked my car right on the curbside, I have an out.”

But as it happened, one of the strangest days in the history of the United States Marine Corps unfolded without the protests and insults that Sergeant Henry had feared. Sergeant Henry, who had been invited to set up a recruiting booth on the first day of the end of “don’t ask, don’t tell” at the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center in downtown Tulsa, instead spent it in quiet conversation with a trickle of gay women who came in to ask about joining the Marines.

Read more ....

My Comment: I wish them the best, but I doubt that they will be getting a flood of requests to join the Marines.

New Gay Military Magazine At Military Exchange Stores

An article found inside Outserve Magazine.

New Gay Military Magazine Headed for Base Newsstands -- FOX News

With the official repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" less than a month away, members of the military can expect to see a new gay-themed magazine available at military exchange stores on Sept. 20, the same day the repeal goes into effect.

The gay-advocacy group OutServe launched the magazine last Spring and has already produced two editions. The group says its September edition will be available for free at select Army and Air Force bases.

Read more ....

My Comment: Yup ..... the times are a changing.

Will Military Recruiters Be Told To Prioritize Selecting 'Gays Over Straights'?

Recruiters Pressed To Reach Out To Gays Once Ban Is Lifted -- Washington Times

An underground gay group in the military wants recruiters to reach out to the gay community in the same way they target blacks, Hispanics and women.

The Pentagon’s ban on openly gays members is due to be lifted Sept. 20, meaning avowed gay people can sign up, those in the ranks can come out of the closet and the military will no longer discharge personnel because of sexual preference.

What is unclear is the number of post-ban policies that might be adopted to meet the demands of gays and ease integration of different sexual identities.

Read more ....

My Comment: The U.S. military .... one big happy affirmative action program.

RAF Policy In the Past Was To 'Cure' Lesbian Recruits

Airwomen: Officers were warned about hockey players

Revealed: How RAF Tried To 'Cure' Lesbian Recruits... And Ordered Officers To Be On Lookout For Women Who Enjoyed Cricket -- The Daily Mail

Secret files have revealed how the RAF forced suspected lesbians to have medical treatment to ‘cure’ their ‘perversion’.

Newly-declassified documents show commanders were told to be alert to airwomen who played cricket or hockey, or spent a lot of time writing letters or telephoning to female comrades – seen as possible signs of attraction to other women.

Officers in the Women’s Royal Air Force (WRAF) were also discouraged from recruiting females with ‘masculine characteristics’.

Read more ....

My Comment: Times have have certainly changed since then.

This Is News?

Photo: Claims: Captain Karen Tait at the tribunal. She says her commanding officer objected to her sexuality

Lesbian Army Captain Sent Home From Afghanistan For Behaving Like A 'Lovestruck Teenager,' Tribunal Told -- The Daily Mail

* Redcap allegedly seen rubbing cream into sergeant's hands
* Officer said behaviour was 'nothing short of criminal'

A lesbian Army captain sent home from Afghanistan after she was accused of an 'inappropriate relationship' with a sergeant was behaving like a 'love struck teenager' and undermining operations, a tribunal heard today.

Karen Tait, 29, who is claiming sexual discrimination against the Ministry of Defence and her commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Deborah Poneskis, upset the chain of command with her 'sly and underhand' behaviour, the employment tribunal in central London heard.

Read more ...

More News On the Case Of Karen Tait

Lesbian redcap captain sues Army for sending her home after claims of gay front-line affair -- The Daily Mail
Lesbian officer was sent home -- Herald Scotland
Lesbian army captain in Afghanistan sent home after objection over sexuality -- Sify News
Lesbian army officer sent home from Afghanistan over 'relationship' -- The Telegraph

My Comment: Sex sells ... or lesbian sex in this case .... when the real news should be this.

"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Is Now "Do Ask, Do Tell" On Military Social Networks

Website Aims To Be Facebook For Gays In Military -- Reuters

(Reuters) - After nearly two decades of hearing "don't ask, don't tell," gay U.S. military men and women are now hearing, "do ask, do tell," and even, "find a friend" from a new social network website, Out Military.

Launched just over a week ago at outmilitary.com, the site comes on the heels of President Barack Obama signing a new law repealing the so-called "don't ask, don't tell" rule, established in 1993, that prevented gay men and lesbians from openly serving in the armed forces.

To date, Out Military -- a sort of Facebook for gay and lesbian military men and women -- has only 53 members, but its backers think that will change in the months ahead as the law's repeal takes effect.

Read more ....

My Comment: I am sure there are many in the military who feel very uncomfortable with this development.