Gays In Military: 'Inclusion Without Equality Is Incomplete'

By Andrea Stone

Amid the joy of meeting in public for the first time and with the novelty of the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" receding, active-duty military personnel at their first conference here this weekend shifted focus to the rest of their agenda.

"Inclusion without equality is incomplete," said Sue Hyde of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force during a session at the inaugural OutServe Armed Forces Leadership Summit. "The job is not done."

Or, rather, jobs. A survey of 530 members of Outserve, which was until the Sept. 20 repeal of DADT an underground network of gay and lesbian military personnel, rated their most important priorities. Topping the list was pressing the Pentagon for partner benefits and repealing the Defense of Marriage Act, which bars recognition of same-sex marriage. OutServe members also cited identifying discriminatory conduct within the ranks and highlighting the positive contributions of gay and lesbian personnel. Last on the list, at least to start, is pushing to change Pentagon rules that still bar transgender people from serving.

Read more at The Huffington Post...