To Escape Bullies, Military 'Forced to Move' Families with LGBTQ+ Kids

[James48]

Harassment of children is "detracting from our readiness," says top Air Force manpower official, "because their school will do nothing when their LGBT kid is being bullied."

AUDREY DECKER | JUNE 07, 2023

Troops with LGBTQ+ family members have been forced to move to new bases because of harassment at school, a Department of the Air Force official said.

“When I'm forced to move families from installations, because their school will do nothing when their LGBT kid is being bullied—that worries me, because that's distracting from the mission, that's detracting from our readiness,” said Alex Wagner, assistant Air Force secretary for manpower and reserve affairs.

Wagner’s comments come amid escalating attacks by right-wing politicians on the LGBTQ+ community. For instance, in Florida, home to several Air Force and Space Force bases, Gov. Ron DeSantis’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill bans public school teachers from talking about sexual orientation or gender identity in the classroom. Hundreds of other anti-LGBTQ+ laws have been introduced or passed elsewhere in the country.

The Air Force could not immediately say which military bases Wagner was referring to.

“If servicemembers are thinking and concerned about the experience their kids are having, they're not going to be focused on their jobs. They're not gonna be focused on their mission,” Wagner said Tuesday at the Center for a New American Security’s annual National Security Conference.

Conservative lawmakers have also argued that “woke-ism” is causing the military’s recruiting woes—despite top military leaders saying there is no evidence that diversity policies have harmed recruiting or readiness.

Diversity and inclusion, Wagner said, is “core” to U.S. national security, because diverse groups always outperform “carefully selected teams of homogenous individuals.”

More:

https://www.govexec.com/defense/2023/06/escape-bullies-military-forced-move-families-lgbtq-kids/387226/

[RKP5637]

1. Incredible. So many states/schools are severely fucked up because of stupid crazy politicians.

When is this crap going to stop. Bigots all over the place, so many places are really hellholes.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

2. This is so sad

[FloridaBlues]

3. Now that it's law in many states it's going to get worse before it gets better

Or take a long time to reverse these laws in most states because they are deeply red states. I don’t even recognize our country. It started in Florida giving permission.

[haele]

4. It's difficult enough to balance kids wellbeing and military assignments...

Putting the added burden of a state "othering" one's child or family member or denying health care because of a small group demanding their particular fee-fees must be respected over everything else is enough to destroy the military member's ability to focus on their jobs and missions. It can ruin careers.
So, these "Don't Say Gay" and other BS political posturing is damaging that Patriot American Military they supposedly respect and absolutely need for their security.

Haele

[NowISeetheLight]

5. How About

Throwing the bullies into some "special school" instead? I remember by brother getting into trouble in HS and having to go an alternative HS.