Republicans love to pretend to love the military. Will they love this move from the Air Force?
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As of now, one branch of the United States military is pledging to offer financial, medical, and legal help to families who are impacted by state laws targeting LGBTQ+ youth. This includes helping them to move to a new state if that’s what’s needed, per HuffPost.
The Air Force is the only branch of the military to do this (so far) and it’ll be interesting to see if it becomes a norm across the military. Per a press release, Air Force leaders have promised that military legal personnel is available to offer free counseling to families who need to understand their rights and protections under this slew of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. They’ve also said military medical facilities are available to provide mental health resources, including to children of Air Force families.
Families would be able to move states based on the precedent set in the Exceptional Family Member Program, where one can be reassigned to a different location based on safety needs. Theoretically, this would be useful if a trans youth needed access to safe, gender-affirming health care banned in their current state, or if a family feels oppressed under the Don’t Say Gay law in Florida.
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“We are closely tracking state laws and legislation to ensure we prepare for and mitigate effects to our Airmen, Guardians and their families,” the statement from Air Force Undersecretary Gina Ortiz Jone reads in part. “Medical, legal resources, and various assistance are available for those who need them.”
Interestingly, according to Air Force spokesperson Laurel Tingley, who spoke to HuffPost, the Air Force hasn’t yet received any requests for legal advice related to these anti-LGBTQ+ laws. According to Tingley, it’s unknown if more folks are using mental health services, because they don’t track that information.
It’ll be curious to see how Republicans will respond to this news, if they acknowledge it at all. Conservatives love to give lip service to thank military personnel and their families, so it’s very likely that particularly hateful folks will be surprised to see the military making explicit resources and support available. Will their surprise lead to a moment of growth and new awareness and acceptance? We can only hope.