You know the MMAA team is out there doing good work, and you see our updates in email newsletters and social media posts. But we recognize that our members like you don’t usually get to see the day-to-day work we do behind the scenes to advocate for our community. 

With over 200 anti-LGBTQIA bills introduced in 2022 across our country, many Americans are feeling overwhelmed, saddened, and scared, but we refuse to go down without a fight. The MMAA team worked tirelessly in 2022 to stand up for LGBTQIA service members, military families, and veterans.

To give our community a peek into our advocacy work — and to remind everyone there is still good news out there — we wanted to share some of our accomplishments in 2022. MMAA’s small but mighty team, our supporters, and fellow advocates have a lot to be proud of.

We continue to be dedicated to our mission as we kick off big plans for 2023, and we’re grateful for your support. And now, some of MMAA’s most notable highlights from 2022.  

Honors and Awards:

  • Our CEO Jennifer Dane was named in We Are The Mighty’s The Mighty 25, a national list of “military influencers, advocates and change makers.” 
  • Our Editorial Director, Emily Starbuck Gerson, won a national journalism award for her cover story for an MMAA magazine issue (published the prior year). The National Association of LGBTQ Journalists awarded Emily in Excellence in Political Coverage for the piece on President Biden’s ending of the transgender service ban.

Legal and Legislative Wins:

  • MMAA settled two cases against the DoD; the transgender service ban and a lawsuit that banned service members living with HIV to deploy or commission. The DoD issued new HIV policy changes in the summer, and while we are still waiting on the implementation, we have a positive outlook. 
  • We advocated for — and celebrated the passage of — The PACT Act and The Respect for Marriage Act. Next is The Equality Act!

Events:

  • In September, we finally had our first official gala under the MMAA name after pandemic delays! It was a huge success with major speakers, including Hon. Gina Ortiz-Jones and Hon. Shawn Skelly. 
  • MMAA had a booth and marched at DC’s Capital Pride in 2022, and we’re already planning for 2023.
  • MMAA, IAVA, and SPARTA’s Lobby Day on Capitol Hill was a great success, with over 40 meetings held, and print copies of our June magazine (“The Advocacy Issue”), which highlighted the HIV lawsuit, were distributed all over Capitol Hill.

Advocacy: 

  • Our CEO Jennifer was invited to testify before Congress and Congressional committees numerous times, on topics including women in the military, sexual violence, and transitioning out of military service, which encompass some of our top priorities for LGBTQ+ military families. She also met with numerous leaders at the Pentagon.
  • Jennifer was invited to The White House many times in 2022, not just for social events like the one for Pride Month, but also for the signing of important legislation such as The PACT Act. We’re thrilled that MMAA has gained a seat at the table in the military space, not just for LGBTQ+ issues, but military-wide topics that also impact our community.
  • Our team assisted over 100 veterans in the process of correcting their records from being discharged before or during Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. 
  • MMAA held the first LGBTQ-focused diversity training at the Virginia Military Institute.
  • We brought on a full-time Director of MilPride, Cathy Marcello, thanks to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Hiring our Heroes Fellowship in their Military Spouse Employment Program. As a military spouse and mom of a trans teen, Cathy has already assisted over 20 MilPride families in solving problems or finding resources. 
  • Our MilPride program partnered with PFLAG to create the monthly virtual support group PFLAG Connects: Military Communities Meeting with MMAA. The first meeting had the most sign-ups in PFLAG Connects history! 
  • MMAA staff, interns, and members of JAG Pride participated in the Georgetown Criminal Justice LGBTQ Youth Certification.

Visibility

  • We published three magazine issues in 2022 to highlight our work, our community, and timely issues. (We skipped the fourth to focus on our upcoming Freedom to Serve Guide but will resume our quarterly publishing schedule this year.) 
  • Our team participated in over 10 webinars, conferences, or events to create visibility for MMAA/MilPride.
  • MMAA maintained consistent engagement and followership across Facebook and Twitter, with continued steady increase in followers on Instagram. Followers on LinkedIn doubled in 2022, with MMAA appearing in more than 500 searches a week on the platform. 
  • MMAA provided a comment in Metro Weekly on Herschel Walker’s anti-LGBTQ and “woke military” comments. 
  • MMAA provided a comment in The Advocate about the VA expanding survivorship benefits to same-sex spouses.

As 2023 begins, we have many exciting things in the works, including helpful guides, more robust programming for military families with LGBTQ+ kids, and reengagement with our chapter program. We look forward to another productive and impactful year, and we’re thankful for your ongoing support!