Tag Archives: anthony kurta

SecDef Mattis: Stop Pretending I’m Resisting Trump

Secretary of Defense and former US Marine Corps General James Mattis has been characterized recently as taking efforts to resist or otherwise slow-roll President Trump and his agenda. In one case, he was caught on camera telling US troops they were a model of unity for the country:

“You’re a great example for our country right now that’s got some problems – you know it and I know it…It’s got problems that we don’t have in the military, and you just hold the line my fine young soldiers, sailors, airmen [and] Marines. Just hold the line until our country gets back to understanding and respecting each other and showing it.”

The media portrayed that as a rebuke of President Trump. More recently, multiple media outlets and organizations have said Secretary Mattis “froze” President Trump’s planned ban on transgenders, an apparent rebuke of his boss. But that isn’t what happened at all.

President Trump ordered Read more

Military LGBT Activists See Ray of Hope in Anthony Kurta

President Trump recently nominated retired Rear Admiral Anthony Kurta to become the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. RAdm Kurta’s name is familiar because he’s been filling in as the Under Secretary for some time, as President Trump’s administration has been slow to fill appointee positions.

And in that nomination, LGBT activists see a ray of hope.

The office of Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness is responsible for recruiting, retention, health affairs, “quality of life”, among other colloquialisms for “people”. By virtue of a memorandum issued by then-Secretary of Defense Ash Carter under President Obama, the USDPR is the office tasked with creating, managing, and overseeing the policies with regard to transgender issues.  That’s the office currently run by Kurta, and for which he is nominated to be Deputy.

Far from being behind the scenes, Anthony Kurta has been front and center on sexual issues as Read more

US Navy Gets Out in Front of President Trump

Update: After outcries of persecution due to President Trump’s silence, the acting Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel Anthony M. Kurta issued a DoD gay pride month celebration announcement.  Ironically, this contradicts information posted on the DEOMI website, which indicates the observance is “established by Presidential Proclamation” — which means the DoD is “celebrating” something that does not (yet) exist this year.

The US Navy got out in front of its own commander Wednesday when it issued a press release celebrating homosexuality for the month of June — something the Commander in Chief, President Donald Trump, has yet to do:

The Navy joins the nation in recognizing Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month throughout June…

“The Navy needs men and women who are the right fit for the right job regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, creed or gender identity,” said Capt. Candace Eckert, Special Assistant for Inclusion and Diversity.

Notice Capt Eckert didn’t include “religion” — but she did include three different variations of sex. That’s “diversity” in the Navy, it seems.

President Trump has yet to have his nominee for Secretary of the Navy, Read more