American Veterans for Equal Rights
American Veterans for Equal Rights logo
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| Founded | 1990 |
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| Location | |
| Website | aver |
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Formerly called
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Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Veterans of America |
American Veterans for Equal Rights (AVER) is a U.S. non-profit organization which supports and advocates for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender veterans of the United States Armed Forces.
It was founded by several LGBT veterans including St. Sgt. (Army Reserve-Rtd.) Miriam Ben-Shalom; Navy Ensign, Jim Woodward, president of the San Diego Veterans Association; Chuck Schoen;bisexual US Army veteran Cliff Arnesen of the New England Gay, Lesbian & Bisexual Veterans, Boston MA; in 1990 as the Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Veterans of America, the oldest organization of LGBT veterans.
Ben-Shalom, a lesbian Army Reserve enlisted soldier who was discharged in 1975 by the military after it was revealed by a higher officer that she was lesbian, fought through the judicial system to retain her post. While initially successful, a higher federal Court of Appeals ultimately reversed the decision.
To help defend others in similar situations, she worked with other LGBT veterans to establish the GLBVA in 1990. Ben-Shalom served as National President until shortly after the 1993 March on Washington, when her resignation was demanded by unanimous action of the Board of Directors due to consequences relating to several events during the days of the March program. The organization attended the March showing a list of over thirty chapters and affiliated organizations. Not long after the March, that number had dropped to fewer than six active local chapters or affiliates after large numbers of members expressed extreme dissatisfaction with events that took place during the March.
GLBVA was incorporated for the first time, in Vermont, in 1993 by action of then-National President Gene F. Barfield and then-National Vice President Nancy Russell. Upon Barfield's resignation, retired Army LCOL Russell succeeded to the National Presidency in 1994, the first of several incumbencies by her in that position.
In 1994 the national officers of GLBVA held the first meeting ever between a nationwide LGBT military and veterans organization and a member of the President's Cabinet. Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs Hershel W. Gober sat down for a meeting with Nancy Russell (of Texas), then National President, Steve Webb (of Michigan), then National Vice President, Bob Hoy (of Florida), then National Vice President for Veterans Affairs, and Gene F. Barfield (of Vermont), then National Secretary and a former National President. Secretary Gober expressed the Administration's commitment to equal access and treatment for all qualified veterans by the Department of Veterans Affairs, regardless of sexual orientation. During this same Washington lobbying visit, GLBVA officers presented Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) with a certificate of honorary life membership, the first ever granted by unanimous vote of the Board of Directors.
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