March 23, 2023 The Newspaper Serving LGBT Los Angeles

For Secretary of Defense, another LGBT hostile Trump pick

GENERAL MATTIS
GENERAL MATTIS

BY STAFF  |  Continuing his string of LGBT hostile Cabinet picks, Donald Trump has tapped James Mattis for Secretary of Defense.

Mattis, in August of 2016, said that President Obama was trying to foist “social change” on the military with what Mattis views as the President’s campaign to accept gay and transgender troops who serve openly in the military.

He has repeatedly said that efforts to be inclusive of LGBT soldiers has weakened the military.

In a book published in August 2016,  Warriors & Citizens: American Views of Our Military, Mattis and his co-author Kori N. Schake, wrote about a “progressive agenda” that seeks to impose “social change” on the military. “We fear that an uninformed public is permitting political leaders to impose an accretion of social conventions that are diminishing the combat power of our military,” Mattis and Schake wrote.

Mattis argues that the desire of some soldiers (57 percent he claims) to object to the presence of LGBT soldiers, even if it brings discredit on the military, is an example of the complexities the military must allow.

The argument echoes the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” debates of the 1990s.

His arguments have been used by the Military Religious Freedoms Foundation, a group that seeks similar carve outs on LGBT issues sought by Mike Pence’s Religious Freedom Act. The group claims their religious right to discriminate is violated by the military’s requirement to accept LGBT soldiers.  There is no evidence General Mattis has any affiliation with this group.

usafa_billboard
A billboard from “Military Religious Freedom” promoting conversion therapy for “homosexual” members of the US Air Force.

Washington Post writer Josh Rogin recently quoted Mattis as having something of a sense of humor about Don’t Ask, Don’t tell:  “When Gen. Abrial arrived to relieve me as the supreme commander, only don’t ask, don’t tell kept me from hugging and kissing him,” the General allegedly joked.

Mattis was fired by President Barack Obama in 2013. The President felt the General was, according to The New York Times, “too hawkish on Iran.” Other sources online said that he was fired for being out of step with the administrations progressive policies.

Mattis has also questioned whether women are suited for what he called the “intimate killing” of close combat, and whether male commanders would balk at sending women into such situations.

Of Post Traumatic Stress Disorders, “There’s no room for woe-is-me, for self-pity, or for cynicism” in the military, Mattis said. “Further, there is no room for military people, including our veterans, to see themselves as victims even if so many of our countrymen are prone to relish that role. In the military, we make choices. We’re not victims.”

General Mattis led a Marine division to Baghdad during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Related Posts

Santa Monica Place Invites LGBTQIA+ Artisans to Apply for Made With PRIDE Marketplace

March 21, 2023

March 21, 2023

Partnering with Streetlet, the marketplace will take place each weekend in June and showcase local goods made in Southern California....

Gus Kenworthy’s Gay Kiss Scene in ‘80 for Brady’ Cut Out

March 14, 2023

March 14, 2023

By Susan Payne “80 for Brady,” a 2023 comedy/drama film that follows a group of longtime friends who want to...

Abbey Founder Declares Drag is Not A Crime

March 14, 2023

March 14, 2023

By Susan Payne “Drag is not a crime.” In solidary with drag performers, David Cooley, founder of The Abbey Food...

Grants Available for Long Beach LGBTQ-Owned or Allied Restaurants

March 14, 2023

March 14, 2023

By Susan Payne LGBTQ-owned or allied restaurants in Long Beach are invited to apply for Grubhub’s Community Impact Grants ranging...

U.S. Food and Drug Administration Moves to Ease Restrictions on Blood Donations from Gay and Bisexual Men

March 9, 2023

March 9, 2023

The City of West Hollywood is getting the word out that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued proposed...

Board of Supervisors Approves Motion to Fly Progress Pride Flag in LA County Offices

March 9, 2023

March 9, 2023

Flags will be flown at Los Angeles County facilities where American and California flags are flown each year ​​Los Angeles...

Donatella Versace Visits the Los Angeles LGBT Center

March 9, 2023

March 9, 2023

Hosts master class with CFDA designers This week, the Los Angeles LGBT Center welcomed Donatella Versace, the Chief Creative Officer...

Versace Partners With CFDA on LGBTQ-Focused Initiative

March 6, 2023

March 6, 2023

By Susan Payne Donatella Versace is launching a masterclass at the Los Angeles LGBT Center on March 6 in partnership...

Suspect Pleads Guilty to Killing Los Angeles-Born Gay Man in 1988

March 6, 2023

March 6, 2023

By Susan Payne Last month, an Australian man pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the 1988 death of an American who...

Bill Introduced for K-12 Statewide Gender-Neutral Restrooms

March 6, 2023

March 6, 2023

By Susan Payne A bill to require K-12 schools in California to provide appropriate and equitable access to gender-neutral restrooms...

UCLA’s New Volleyball Coach’s Gay Journey Reaches Full Circle

March 1, 2023

March 1, 2023

By Susan Payne Playing volleyball in a West Hollywood gym is where Alfred Reft became comfortable with his sexuality, alongside...

Girl Scouts Make Sales at WeHo Bars

March 1, 2023

March 1, 2023

By Susan Payne A Glendale, California Girl Scout has found a new market for cookie sales in West Hollywood.  In...

Brittney Griner’s First WNBA Game Since Return Held in Los Angeles

March 1, 2023

March 1, 2023

By Susan Payne The WNBA will kick off its season in May – this time, with Brittany Griner back in...

American Youth Symphony Returns to Walt Disney Concert Hall This Weekend

February 23, 2023

February 23, 2023

Nearly 400 of the finest young orchestral and choral musicians from AYS and National Children’s Chorus will perform Benjamin Britten’s...

LA County Math Teacher Takes Son to Nail Salon After Daycare Teacher Detests

February 16, 2023

February 16, 2023

By Susan Payne “Painting your nails is only for girls,” a daycare teacher told the three-year-old son of Christian Shearhod,...