Honoring Our Fallen

This weekend I had the honor of attending Honoring Our Fallen, a ceremony remembering LGBT vets who have passed away. It was my first visit to the historic Congressional Cemetery, and to the event, hosted by American Veterans for Equal Rights and the Arlington Gay and Lesbian Alliance.

The ceremony opened with a lovely rendition of the nation anthem and closed with God Bless America. Space was given for family and friends of fallen veterans to say aloud the names of their personal heroes. I particularly appreciated SLDN Honorary Board Member and retired Navy Captain Mike Rankin's mention that women rarely get their due recognition for military service.

I remember reading in elementary school about a woman who presented herself as a man so she could fight in the Revolutionary War. There's no telling whether this soldier identified as male, or whether she was a lesbian or bisexual. Simply being female was enough at the time to disqualify her from service.

Historians only have the record of a woman who went to great lengths to conceal her identity in order to risk her life fighting for a country that kept her as a second class citizen. I don't know about you, but I'm inspired.

This Veterans Day weekend I’ll be thinking about all the LGBT Americans who have served in our armed forces and not gotten their due, as I march with LGBT veterans and allies in a local Veterans’ Day parade. You can join me in showing our gratitude to ALL of our nation’s veterans by participating in SLDN’s Honor Every Veteran campaign. Post an Honor Every Veteran sign, hang an American flag side-by-side with a pride flag, or support a local business participating in the campaign. Above all, thank the veterans you know for their service.

There's no way to count exactly how many brave Americans have fought and died for a nation that has banned them from service. That so many serve anyway is a powerful testament to our belief in a better America.

- Jill Raney