There’s no question 2019 has been a challenging year. But since AMPA and OutServe-SLDN merged this past May to form MMAA, our team has been working nonstop to advance fairness and equality for the LGBTQ military and veteran community. And our hard work is making a real difference.
With lawsuits challenging the transgender military ban and outdated policies harming servicemembers living with HIV, we are on the front lines in the fight for LGBTQ military equality. We are also fighting back against assaults on the progress we’ve made.
In cases ranging from issues affecting veterans to DACA recipients, we filed several important briefs with the courts, including a brief with the Supreme Court in three cases that could determine whether LGBTQ people are protected under current federal civil rights law. We made sure the courts know the outcome of these cases could cause severe harm to our military families.
We were so proud to award eight incredible military spouses with our 2019 Military Spouse Scholarship, presented by Hilton. We also kicked off our groundbreaking new survey of the LGBTQ military and veteran community and launched our inaugural Rainbow Shield certification training, helping to bridge the gap in LGBTQ cultural competency for military and