Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and other top department officials took part in the Pentagon’s 10th annual LGBTQ+ Pride Month celebration last week.
In his comments, Austin commemorated the progress the military had come in standing up for LGBTQ+ rights but recognized that there was still more work to be done in achieving equity.
“Our work isn’t done until we create a safe workplace for everyone,” said Austin, who is the first African American to serve as Secretary of Defense. “No service member who fights for our country should feel unsafe because of who they are.”
Austin also commemorated the work of former military members who fought publicly for the right to serve openly in the military, including Frank Kameny — who filed one of the first known civil rights claims based on sexual orientation in court.
“They fought for our country when our country wouldn’t fight for them,” Austin said.
The event also featured a speech from Space Force Maj. Gen. Leah Lauderback, who described living in a “constant state of paranoia” under the military’s “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy in the ’90s and ’00s. She described putting masking tape over military identifiers on her car when she visited gay bars in her area.
Lauderback said that promoting diversity in the military would help future recruitment of the “best and brightest.”
