• Veteran Services

  LGBTQ Military and Veterans Assistance Programs

  Posted by PO 1(NJ) Paul Kale NJNM-JC on August 25, 2021 at 1:22 am

  Garden State Equality

  Headquarters
  1408 Main Street Asbury Park, NJ 07712

  North Jersey Office 40 S Fullerton Avenue Montclair, NJ 07042

  Phone: 1-973-509-5428
  Email: contact@gardenstateequality.org Website: http://www.gardenstateequality.org

  Garden State Equality (GSE) is New Jersey’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender organization and one of the most successful statewide LGBTQ groups in the country. With approximately half a million LGBTQ individuals in NJ and over 150,000 GSE members, their mission is to provide services that meet the needs of the LGBTQ community and promote equality for all.

  Programs fall under two main categories: education/youth development (Teach and Affirm) and health/wellness (Map and Expand, which targets the entire LGBTQ community, and Pledge and Protect, which addresses the unique needs of LGBTQ seniors). Issues facing the LGBTQ community, including housing, healthcare, education, and more, are addressed under these programs and through our legislative and policy work.

  GSE also serves the community by providing referrals for healthcare and legal services and intervening in cases of harassment and discrimination. If you are looking for a referral please reach out. If you have faced discrimination in New Jersey because of your sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, tell Garden State Equality by contacting them at the email address or phone number above, or by filling out the report discrimination form on our website:https://www.gardenstateequality.org/report_discrimination

  OutServe-SLDN

  PO Box 65301
  Washington DC 20035-5301

  Phone: 1-800-538-7418
  Email: admin@outserve-sldn.org Website: https://www.outserve-sldn.org

  OutServe-SLDN represents the U.S. LGBT military community worldwide. Our mission is to: educate the community, provide legal services, advocate for authentic transgender service, provide developmental opportunities, support members and local chapters, communicate effectively, and work towards equality for all.

  Servicemembers. Partners. Allies for Respect and Tolerance for All (SPART*A)
  https://spartapride.org

  SPART*A’s mission is to advocate for our actively serving transgender military members, veterans, and their families. SPART*A provides our members with a peer support network, assistance in navigating military transgender policy and health care, and educational resources for their professional development. SPART*A actively coordinates and collaborates with other LGBT advocacy organizations to promote an inclusive military environment that values the contributions of all Americans with the desire to serve.

  Changing DD-214s and Other Discharges

  Servicemembers who were discharged because of the policy known as Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT) or the prior policies regarding gays and lesbians in the Armed Forces may want to have certain changes made in the discharge paperwork.

  The discharge characterization for those discharged under DADT or the prior policy should accurately reflect the character of their service. This is not always the case.

  Servicemembers who were discharged under DADT generally received an Honorable or General Under Honorable Conditions discharge based on their service records. However, a service member discharged for a “Homosexual Act” that involved a so-called “aggravating factor” might have been given an Other Than Honorable (OTH) discharge characterization. Most of the factors on the list (such as acts involving minors, prostitutes or coercion) constituted unacceptable behavior and should have resulted in an OTH. But there were two “aggravating factors” that did not inherently constitute misconduct and that should not necessarily have resulted in OTH discharges. These were acts committed openly in public view (e.g., holding hands at a restaurant) and acts committed on base or on post (e.g., a quick hug while being dropped off ).

  In addition, the Navy and Marine Corps gave those discharged for “marriage” or “attempted marriage” an OTH, while in the Army and the Air Force, members discharged for same conduct received Honorable or General Under Honorable Conditions discharges, based on their service record.

  Servicemembers discharged under the pre-DADT policy were very likely to receive discharges that were less than Honorable.

  Less than Honorable discharge characterizations can have lifelong consequences, such as limiting the veteran’s access to the GI Bill or Veterans Administration healthcare.

  Former servicemembers who received a less than Honorable discharge characterization that is not reflective of their service are eligible to apply to have that discharge upgraded to mirror their service.

  For more information on how to upgrade a discharge, please contact a New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs Veterans Service Office (see page 15).

  PO 1(NJ) Paul Kale NJNM-JC replied 5 years ago 1 Member · 0 Replies
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