Gay

Today, we celebrate our gay pride.

We live off this image as an open and tolerant place. Homophobic violence has hit crisis levels, and it’s getting worse.

This is the right thing to do for our people and for the force. We’re talking about talented Americans who are serving with distinction or who want the opportunity to serve. We can’t allow barriers unrelated to a person’s qualifications prevent us from recruiting and retaining those who can best accomplish the mission.

Legislators have gone out of their way to stigmatize and marginalize transgender North Carolinians by pushing ugly and fundamentally untrue stereotypes that are based on fear and ignorance and not supported by the experiences of more than 200 cities with these protections.

The court looks the other way as yet another federal district judge casts aside state laws without making any effort to preserve the status quo pending the court’s resolution of a constitutional question it left open in United States v. Windsor…This acquiescence may well be seen as a signal of the court’s intended resolution of that question.

I hope to challenge the ideas of beauty in gay culture. Putting a gay disabled character on TV is my number one dream.

That’s right, I’m the lesser known Kardashian sister, my name is Karla Kardashian with a K. Because we’re known for our double K’s. These are double K’s too, by the way.

Thank you for your patience. Thank you for your courage. Thank you for your stories. Thank you for your inspiration. Thank you for letting us be part of the change.

I fought for 20 years for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I want some happiness.

And so I’m here before you this morning, with a seemingly impossible choice that I do not wish upon any of my fellow Americans: my conscience and my freedom.

I’m very open about it—I’m pansexual.

Talking with my teammates, they gave me the confidence I needed, coming out to them.