LGBT Alliance to host picnic for Pride Month

  • Published
  • By 60th Air Mobility Wing
  • Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  The Travis Air Force Base, California, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Alliance, a private organization established Feb. 2014, is scheduled to host a picnic in the park and outdoor movie event June 19 at 7 p.m. at Travisville Park as the second annual Pride Month celebration.

"The event is BYOB, bring your own blanket," said Capt. Laura Johnson, 60th Medical Operations Squadron clinical psychologist. "We will have Travis Public Health and Solano County Public Health providing health information especially relevant to the LGBT community. The picnic, which will include a burger burn with free food and refreshments, is an all ages, family friendly event."

After the burger burn, around sunset, there will be an outdoor screening of the HBO Documentary 'The Strange History of Don't Ask, Don't Tell' which will count as a leadership pathways credit for those who register online and sign-in at the event.
The September 2011 full implementation of the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" allowed for homosexuals to serve openly in every branch of the military without the fear of being discharged.

"Living a double life was difficult in the military," said Staff Sgt. Jesse Dale, 60th Security Forces Squadron commander support staff. "I struggled with hiding myself through being something that I was not and I didn't function well with the unit. Since the repeal, there has been a great relief off of our shoulders to be able to have integrity with ourselves. I was able to be a part of the unit without the fear of others turning me in."

Pride Month is about being proud of who you are as an individual, no matter your orientation or identity, and recognizing the impact lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals have had on the fight for equality. The Department of Defense has celebrated June as Pride month since 2013.

"To me personally it means visibility," Johnson said. "As a bisexual woman, I face invisibility on many fronts - within the lesbian and gay community, within the straight community and certainly within the military community. It is a month to celebrate our community and how far we have come."

President Barack Obama summarized the purpose of Pride Month in his June proclamation which read, "During LGBT Pride Month, we celebrate the proud legacy LGBT individuals have woven into the fabric of our Nation, we honor those who have fought to perfect our Union and we continue our work to build a society where every child grows up knowing that their country supports them, is proud of them and has a place for them exactly as they are."

The LGBT Alliance meets on the first Wednesday of every month at 6 p.m. at the Airman and Family Readiness Center. For more information visit https://www.facebook.com/LGBTAlliance707.