For the first time in United States history our service members were allowed to wear their uniforms with and FOR Pride in San Diego. After the jump check out a video with our troops talking about what attending the parade in uniform meant to them!
Love men in uniform? We do! And, there's going to be a lot of them in San Diego this weekend! In a rare move, the Department of Defense is allowing service members to wear their uniform with and for pride this weekend in San Diego (and only in San Diego!) Get more details, after the jump!
"Today is a great day of Pride! San Diego Pride is honored to have the privilege of celebrating our country and our service members with dignity and respect," said San Diego LGBT Pride Executive Director Dwayne Crenshaw. “The fight for equality is not over and it is not easy, but this is a giant leap in the right direction.”
The theme of San Diego's pride event this year is "America's Pride," which prompted service members to ask their local commanders for permission to wear their uniforms.
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Rene Bardorf, issued a letter on July 19, 2012 in which she says "we understand local commanders have been exercising their discretion on approval per current DoD Community Relations guidance." It goes on to note that permission was now being requested from her office because the original requests were gaining "national media attention."
Ultimately, permission was granted so long as the service members uphold the regulations which are in place for “appearance and wear of the military uniform."
What's Your Instinct: Are things finally starting to change for the better or was this decision made to fend our a media frenzy?
