Air Force offers to help military families affected by anti-LGBTQ laws

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• The Air Force offers to help service members and families if they are personally affected by new anti-LGBTQ state laws.
• The DAF said will provide medical, legal and other resources to support Airmen and their family members.
• The Air Force will also help service members if they feel they need to leave those states.

The Department of the Air Force (DAF) said it will offer medical and legal aid to service members and their families who are personally affected by the new anti-LGBTQ+ laws.

“Various laws and legislation are being proposed and passed in states across America that may affect LGBTQ Airmen, Guardians, and/or their LGBTQ dependents in different ways,” DAF wrote.

The department issued the news release last month, however, it was not widely reported.

The DAF is offering medical, legal and other resources to help Airmen and their family members.

“The health, care and resilience of our DAF personnel and their families is not just our top priority – it’s essential to our ability to accomplish the mission,” Under Secretary of the Air Force Gina Ortiz Jones said in a statement. “We are closely tracking state laws and legislation to ensure we prepare for and mitigate effects to our Airmen, Guardians and their families. Medical, legal resources, and various assistance are available for those who need them.”

More than 300 anti-LGBTQ bills have been proposed in state legislatures across the United States in just the last three months, according to the Human Rights Campaign. Some of these bills, which critics say are discriminatory against the LGBTQ+ community, have already been signed into law.,

The tally does not include efforts to limit LGBTQ+ rights outside of state houses.

In February, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) issued an order to state agencies to investigate gender-affirming care for transgender minors as child abuse. The investigations have since been halted.

DAF officials advised service members and their families to first visit DAF medical treatment facilities if they need medical treatment or mental health support.

DAF’s programs like the Air Force’s Exceptional Family Member Program, for personnel with a special needs family member, are also made available to service members interested in a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) This will help them navigate medical, legal and educational support for dependents while the family relocates.

“As is the case with all of our family members, if the support a family member needs becomes unavailable, commanders can work to get the service member to an assignment where their loved ones can receive the care they need,” Jones said.

Source: The Hill