the organization of LGBT Naval Academy Alumni & Allies
Call for new board members!!! We’re looking to elect four new board members in our December Board & Member Meeting (December 15th)
Please join our October 20th call where we’ll be introducing prospective new board members.
Also, non-board members please remember ALL are welcome to join our board calls since we’ll get the official business done quickly then move onto our member input section of each call. We’d love to hear from you!
Our Annual Alumni & Midshipmen Dinner is CONFIRMED for Saturday April 27th, 2019 at the Alley Bar at the Officer’s Club a the U.S. Naval Academy.
As of now we’re taking RSVP’s to gage interest for this year with the goal of reaching 150 attendees! So please snag a “free ticket“ on Eventbrite
Our tentative agenda is as follows:
Saturday Morning: Alumni, Cadets & Zoomies arrive
Saturday 09:30: Doors Open Alley Bar (O-Club)
Saturday 10:00: Brunch is Served with Mimosa Bar
Saturday 11:30: Presentation of Firstie Shoulder Boards
Saturday 12/12:30: Migrate to Croquet Match where we will rent a tent for USNA Out
Tentative Ticket Prices: Guest $70, Sponsor a Midn $40, Silver Sponsor $250, Blue Sponsor $500, Gold Sponsor $1000
All proceeds are intended to fuel the mission of USNA Out, support the Naval Academy, make an annual donation to Spectrum, and fund future alumni events.
Attire: Annapolis appropriate (think Croquet)
In the DC area? Join Paula M. Neira at the 25th Anniversary Year Kick Off Event with Outserve – SLDN Oct 3rd at 6:30pm
For USNA Out’s Second Annual Sails and Tales 16 USNA Out’ers and Associates made their way up to the beautiful Penobscot Bay in Maine to sail for 5 days and 4 nights on board the beautiful Schooner Ladona! Previously used by the U.S. Navy in WWII as a submarine patrol vessel it has now been refurbished as a beautiful yachting vessel.
Missed the last two trips for Sails & Tales? Head over to FB and RSVP for our Third Annual Cruise next year.
The first “official” USNA Out Midwest group event is on the books! Thank you Kevin Deese and Ashley Fischer for kicking off our first regional group event.
Be sure to check out USNA Out’s Facebook to find the regional group near you. (Don’t see one? let us know!)
Apologies for the long email but it’s worth it!
There are some exciting developments at USNA Out and we hope that all of you can be a part of it in the year to come. To start we would like to announce:
|
|
|
Together we’re looking to re-expand the scope and engagement in our organization.
New Board Members
We’re looking for FOUR new diverse board members to add to our current three to bring their ideas, energy, and motivation to a growing USNA Out.
Elections will be held in our December Board Meeting (either Dec 15th or in-person at Army-Navy). Requirements to be a board member are a member in good standing (pay your dues) as well as attend two previous board meetings so please join us in August and October to see the progress.
Didn’t make the board elections? We’ll be implementing committees for members to become more involved and learn a bit about the organization as well as share their ideas such as:
| Web Committee | Finance Committee | Events Committee | Army-Navy Committee |
| Annual Dinner Committee | Trans Outreach Committee | Midshipmen Outreach Comm. |
Ideas? |
Building a Mentorship Community for LGBT Midshipmen and Alumni
One of USNA Out’s objectives as an organization is to provide information, mentorship, and personal/professional development resources for LGBT Midshipmen and Alumni.
We are looking to build an “opt-in” mentorship program for all our Members. For our first step, we will be adding to all of our Member Profiles an option to check “yes” to volunteer as a mentor and describe the areas of mentor expertise they are willing to provide.
After we have that option established, it’ll be up to you! If you’re looking for a mentor or advice in a certain area, you can scan our Membership Roster, see who has the right experience you are looking for, and reach out to them on your own. No need to wait and be formally “matched” by a third party.
Army Navy 2018
Army/Navy is right around the corner! This year’s game is set to be on December 8th,
2018 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
Resuscitating the tradition, USNA Out will be joining up with members of Knights Out for a pre-game tailgater. Brook Stevens ’12 and Ryan Gilbert ’10 will be coordinating the effort with KO to make this a fun event for everyone. Also, our friends at Deutsche Bank will be sponsoring the entire tailgater. Please do RSVP via Eventbrite which can be found in the event on Facebook, but please any questions email Brook at brook.stevens@usnaout.org.
RSVP Here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/joint-ko-usna-out-army-navy-tailgater-tickets-47876427684
San Diego Taking the Lead!
Thanks to Hunter Rogers ’11, Adam Hammer ’16, and Tom Carpenter ’70 we have not one but TWO upcoming San Diego events.
Friday July 13th – Pride Kick-Off Party
Saturday October 27th – Navy v. Notre Dame Football
2019 Alumni-Midshipmen Dinner
For 2019, we’re targeting Saturday April 27th so more individuals can attend our event. We are looking at the Officers Club but if anybody has ideas for inexpensive (or free) venues, ideally on the Yard, that would be great. We would love to run a surplus this year, so we can support the Academy, Spectrum, and more Alumni events. We will also have a new structure this year:
We will also be working to secure a block of rooms at a local hotel (Lowes or equivalent).
RSVP Here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/usna-out-annual-alumni-midshipmen-dinner-tickets-47897959085
Why is Army here? 😉
Over the next year we intend on doing many joint events with our friends up North.
One such event is their annual Cadet Gala, usually the first week of April. We encourage all who can to attend. Brook Stevens, Brian Wiechowski, Joe Soto, and Brian Bender have all attended in the past and can answer questions.
We will also be paying for Midshipmen to attend their event to build cross-Academy relationships.
Building a Networked Community
USNA Out is an organization for everyone from coast to coast, overseas, and those at sea or deployed. In an effort to create closer local communities we’ve created various Facebook groups within our USNA Out Facebook page.
The Southern California group is pulling ahead with 9 members already! Please find your group and join! We’d be happy to sponsor events in your area whether it’s football, going sailing, attending a Navy women’s lacrosse game or even a pottery class! You tell us, and we’ll do our best to help you along the way.
Closed OPEN Session in Progress
Our Board Meetings are now open to all members of USNA Out. Our Board and Member Meetings will have two parts. The first part will be our formal Board business, for all to observe. The second, and more important part, will be our Members Forum. During that time, we’re looking forward to hearing from you! Bring your thoughts, ideas, and energy for moving our organization forward.
We have the next 6 Meetings scheduled (through the summer of 2019!) and posted to Facebook. The next one will be Saturday, August 18th at Noon Eastern Time (9 AM Pacific). Google Hangout link and dial-in number are posted to the Board section of our website now for your convenience.
While this email hopefully detailed many of the ideas and initiatives we have moving forward there is so much room for so much more! So please join us on these calls and let’s hear from you.
Please although not required we’d love for you to donate to the organization this year! Annual dues have typically been $40 but in order to spur recurring donations we’ll be dropping them to $24! There’s a monthly recurring option with PayPal so that’s $2 per month!
Thanks for all your support.
Go Navy, Beat Everyone!
Dave, Brook, and Rosie
USNA Out Board
Alumni support for the dinner continues to grow
whether or not they are able to attend
Attendance by alumni was down by 30% from previous year. Analysis of 34 alumni identified as having attended one of the previous 5 dinners, 26 either RSVPd regrets or have moved out of the DC area. Reasons for no-attenance of 8 others unknown. Four alumni (20%) were joining the dinner for their first time.
| 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mids – 1/C | 4 | 7 | 5 | 18 | 13 | 8 |
| Mids – 234/C | 14 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 20 | 14 |
| Mid guests | 1 | 2 | 6 | 12 | 7 | 6 |
| Alumni | 6 | 18 | 33 | 30 | 30 | 21 |
| Alumni guests | 5 | 6 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 9 |
| Others | 6 | 1 | 6 | |||
| Total Attendees | 30 | 47 | 69 | 90 | 82 | 64 |
| Donor attending | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 17 |
| Donor absentia | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 9 |
| Total Donors | 1 | 1 | 7 | 10 | 21 | 26 |
| Dinner Food & Bev | N/A | $1500 | $8006 | $6923 | $4639 | $5773 |
| Decor/Printing | N/A | $0 | $0 | $94 | $13 | |
| Dinner Total | N/A | $1500 | $8006 | $6923 | $4733 | $5786 |
| Dinner Revenue | $0 | $1500 | $1999 | $5445 | $5026 | $4960 |
| USNA Out Subsidy | $0 | $0 | $6006 | $1478 | -$387 | $812 |
| Ticket Price | $0.00 | $0.00 | $50.00 | $50.00 | $60.00 | $65.00 |
| Cost/attendee | N/A | $31.91 | $116.03 | $76.92 | $56.57 | $90.20 |
| Subsity/attendee | N/A | N/A | $87.05 | $16.42 | -$4.71 | $12.69 |
| Awards | N/A | $394.90 | $557.79 | $468.00 | $429.00 | $263.53 |
This report is here for info and resource of lessons learned for subsequent events, i.e. “how did we do it last time” and “how can it be better.” To see the history of all dinners, see http://usnaout.org/evolutions-alumni-student-dinners. Due to overwhelming very positive comments after the event, a post-event survey was not sent to attendees as in past years.
Attendance
NEED TO UPDATE WITH 2016 NUMBERS, these are 2014
Attending: 64
No shows: 3
Unplanned: 1 – “ally” midshipman 2/C
Tag along mids: 0
Note: No “hidden on the roster” nor unknown mids arrived at this event, a consistent pattern since the end of DADT.
The Class of 2014 executed the dinner event remaining within $1000 of collected funds which was the goal of the Chair & treasurer.
$5,000.00 contributions via PayPal® $ (154.67) PayPal fees $4,845.33 net PayPal receipts $ 115.00 checks $ 0.00 cash received at dinner $4,960.33 Total receipts $5,772.52 Catering $ 13.22 Printing $5,785.74 Total expenses $ 825.41 Shortfall paid by USNA Out
$292.71 in sales taxes which would have been precluded with Determination Letter (not received until 5/5/14)
A POAM was re-developed from 2013 and followed. Most actions completed ahead or on schedule. Items not accomplished as planned were:
Email Communications
RSVPs
The RSVP period was 48 days long.
46 total RSVPs received of 302 non-mid members (15.2%)
When
How
“Save the Date” via email 90 days prior to the event per common protocol.
Invitations composited via photoshop (file linked below) and emailed to all alumni, faculty, staff, parent members. No mids nor courtesy distribution. Invite included time/location as they were set in time for the emailing.
A “schedule of events” was prepared and printed on goldenrod card stock. 8 half sheets were placed notables but were quickly absorbed by guests.
Attendees were provided pre-printed name Avery 74461 badges created online at http://www.avery.com/avery/en_us/Templates-%26-Software/Software/Avery-Design–Print-Online.htm.
Merging CSV file of attendees (First name, Last name, class) with USNA Out logo in ULH corner, printed to PDFs which were then taken to FedEx to print on white & blue card stock.
Midshipmen had an option to be designated as “ok to be in photos” or “not ok.” All midshipmen name badges were reversible. Those who were OK were initially given their name badge with the white (same as alumni) side showing, those who were not comfortable were initially blue.
Program proceeded exactly per the programmed times.
Recommended changes: Add housekeeping announcements to the program. Needed announcements include:
“Awards” presentation choreography went as follows: Eight alumni introduced the eight soon to be ensigns from ’14 and each alum introduced the next alum. Because of the size of the crowd all of whom fit under the tent, the awards ceremony felt more intimate and personal than other outdoor presentations of the past.
Awards were given to all first class in attendance regardless of USNA Out membership as prescribed by the USNA Staff JAG.
Written script was provided to presenters.
Most of the name badges returned for reuse.
At the completion of the event, USNA Out has in stock:
A big THANKS to all those who had roles in making the class of 2016 Midshipman’s Dinner happen. Special BRAVO ZULUs to:
Board member Kristin Barnes ’92 – who
Special thanks to two members who were major contributors to the event, Jeff Rob Beer ’90, Ray & Kathy Green 80 and the SIX board members and ??other USNA Out members whose contributions allowed this event to be “no cost” to all midshipmen attending.
The Invites are OUT!
All USNA Out members are invited to join us at our EIGHTH annual alumni event in Annapolis, when the we welcome our soon to be newest members from the Class of 2016 who will be graduating and commissioning 26 days following our event. Welcoming our new alumni members through this annual event has become the most cherished and meaningful of all USNA Out activities.
The event planners are excited to share that for the first time our event is moving to historic Ogle Hall, the home of the USNA Alumni Association. Ogle Hall is just outside the Yard though Gate Three, on the corner of King James Street & College Avenue. Also new for 2016, so we can better accommodate all our members and guest midshipmen, the event will be held on a Sunday Afternoon, May Day.
RSVPs are required by Sunday, 24 April (note: early registration by 17 April is discounted).
If you cannot make this year’s event, consider making a contribution when you RSVP so that we can continue to keep the event at little to no-charge for our midshipmen guests.
If you have recently met other USNA LGBT alumni who might not be registered on our website, please forward this invitation to them so they may also enjoy the opportunity join us in Annapolis.
For our large membership contingent in the Norfolk area, consider coordinating car pooling with the other LGBT alumni in the area.
Hope to see you in Annapolis!
Just click the invitation below to RSVP!
In October, the first “ally week” at USNA, with an announcement made every day at lunchtime from the anchor, featuring various “allies’ speaking about what it means to be an ally.
In the past year, twenty-nine USNA Out members have contributed a total of $4,877 via USNA Out to support our Midshipmen. All of our donated proceeds (minus a modest PayPal processing fee) are directed towards programs that directly benefit LGBT Midshipmen and their allies.
You, too, can help support the USNA Spectrum by making a would like to help, please contribute today.
The date was announced here on our website in January, and now the invitations are out. Please RSVP as soon as you can. Early RSVPs (by 12 April) will save $20 from the regular price of $85.
To encourage maximum participation of our members and Midshipmen, the evening is a safe space for attendees.
Welcoming our new alumni members through this annual dinner has become the most significant and meaningful USNA Out event. If you are unable to attend this year’s dinner, please consider making a contribution towards this year’s event when you submit your RSVP so that we can keep this event a no-cost for out midshipmen associate members.
Just click the invitation below to RSVP!
Continue reading “4/25/2015 – the 2015 Alumni & Midshipmen Dinner in Annapolis”
A great reason to get other USNA Outers together this weekend.. if you live in one of these metropolitan areas: Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, LA, Minneapolis, New York, Phoenix, San Francisco, San Diego or Washington DC.
Burning Blue, a feature film written, produced and directed by USNA Out member DMW Greer USNA ’80 will be opening on movie screens throughout the country and also released on VOD.
For a list of theaters, visit http://www.burningbluefilm.com/#!theaters/cy8d
Before “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” became law, before Brokeback Mountain was a Short Story, Burning Blue was a Stage Play being performed in cities around the world. Twenty years later Burning Blue is finally an independent film.
Written in 1992 by DMW Greer USNA ’80, a former Naval Aviator, the stage play of Burning Blue premiered to great critical acclaim on the London Fringe at the King’s Head Theater in early 1995 before transferring to The Theatre Royal Haymarket on the West End where the production received two Olivier Awards. Since then, it has been seen by more than 100,000 people in multiple productions around the world from Tel Aviv to Paris. Drawn from the Author’s life, this funny, deeply compelling and tragic love story set against the backdrop of the US Navy was shot entirely in New York City. The roll of John in the film is played by Rob Mayes, USNA ’08.
Our New York area members were able to see a preview screening at the DGA theater in New York and our SF Bay Area members had the opportunity to see the world premier at Frameline in San Francisco last June.
see more about the film: http://www.burningbluefilm.com
Continue reading “6/6/2014 – Burning Blue”
The NEW Gouge for LGBT mids, jo’s and alumni
Since 2008, when USNA Out was approached by a third class midshipman not yet a youngster desiring to join us, our online Gouge for LGBT Midshipmen has been a resource available to LBGT and questioning Midshipmen at the Naval Academy. Much of the early emphasis on the Gouge was on how to safely navigate the hazards of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy which was not well understood by any of the mids. With each lesson learned, we would update the Gouge with additional guidance to keep the LGBT Midshipmen on track for a successful time at USNA and beyond. As USNA Out took on a significant role as mentors, advisors and counselors, the Gouge included more and more issues dealing with LGBT life issues, including coming out at USNA.
When “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was repealed in 2011, 60% of the Gouge was extracted as no longer necessary. But the Gouge continued to be an important resource for the LGBT-Q midshipmen and was amended as we learned more about the difficulties of being LGBT in the fishbowl of the Naval Academy, fleet wardrooms and beyond.
Based on consistent feedback from the Mids, junior officers and alumni who have completed their service obligations, the Gouge has undergone the first major reconstruction since the end of the DADT era. The advice pages which were “themed” as all pages here at USNAOut.org have been moved to new more subtly themed web pages. The guidance is also being expanded to provide guidance beyond graduation. With the increased content volume, guidance has been broken into relevant portions to be easier to find.
Feedback is always welcome at USNA OUt. Our online guidance is very dependent on knowing the issue facing midshipmen, junior officers and alumni.
Continue reading “6/2/2014 – The “New” Gouge for LGBT Mids, JOs & Alumni”
Alumni support for the dinner continues to grow
whether or not they are able to attend
Attendance by alumni was down by 30% from previous year. Analysis of 34 alumni identified as having attended one of the previous 5 dinners, 26 either RSVPd regrets or have moved out of the DC area. Reasons for no-attenance of 8 others unknown. Four alumni (20%) were joining the dinner for their first time.
| 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mids – 1/C | 4 | 7 | 5 | 18 | 13 | 8 |
| Mids – 234/C | 14 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 20 | 14 |
| Mid guests | 1 | 2 | 6 | 12 | 7 | 6 |
| Alumni | 6 | 18 | 33 | 30 | 30 | 21 |
| Alumni guests | 5 | 6 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 9 |
| Others | 6 | 1 | 6 | |||
| Total Attendees | 30 | 47 | 69 | 90 | 82 | 64 |
| Donor attending | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 17 |
| Donor absentia | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 9 |
| Total Donors | 1 | 1 | 7 | 10 | 21 | 26 |
| Dinner Food & Bev | N/A | $1500 | $8006 | $6923 | $4639 | $5773 |
| Decor/Printing | N/A | $0 | $0 | $94 | $13 | |
| Dinner Total | N/A | $1500 | $8006 | $6923 | $4733 | $5786 |
| Dinner Revenue | $0 | $1500 | $1999 | $5445 | $5026 | $4960 |
| USNA Out Subsidy | $0 | $0 | $6006 | $1478 | -$387 | $812 |
| Ticket Price | $0.00 | $0.00 | $50.00 | $50.00 | $60.00 | $65.00 |
| Cost/attendee | N/A | $31.91 | $116.03 | $76.92 | $56.57 | $90.20 |
| Subsity/attendee | N/A | N/A | $87.05 | $16.42 | -$4.71 | $12.69 |
| Awards | N/A | $394.90 | $557.79 | $468.00 | $429.00 | $263.53 |
This report is here for info and resource of lessons learned for subsequent events, i.e. “how did we do it last time” and “how can it be better.” To see the history of all dinners, see http://usnaout.org/evolutions-alumni-student-dinners. Due to overwhelming very positive comments after the event, a post-event survey was not sent to attendees as in past years.
Attendance
Attending: 64
No shows: 3
Unplanned: 1 – “ally” midshipman 2/C
Tag along mids: 0
Note: No “hidden on the roster” nor unknown mids arrived at this event, a consistent pattern since the end of DADT.
The Class of 2014 executed the dinner event remaining within $1000 of collected funds which was the goal of the Chair & treasurer.
$5,000.00 contributions via PayPal® $ (154.67) PayPal fees $4,845.33 net PayPal receipts $ 115.00 checks $ 0.00 cash received at dinner $4,960.33 Total receipts $5,772.52 Catering $ 13.22 Printing $5,785.74 Total expenses $ 825.41 Shortfall paid by USNA Out
$292.71 in sales taxes which would have been precluded with Determination Letter (not received until 5/5/14)
A POAM was re-developed from 2013 and followed. Most actions completed ahead or on schedule. Items not accomplished as planned were:
Email Communications
RSVPs
The RSVP period was 48 days long.
46 total RSVPs received of 302 non-mid members (15.2%)
When
How
“Save the Date” via email 90 days prior to the event per common protocol.
Invitations composited via photoshop (file linked below) and emailed to all alumni, faculty, staff, parent members. No mids nor courtesy distribution. Invite included time/location as they were set in time for the emailing.
A “schedule of events” was prepared and printed on goldenrod card stock. 8 half sheets were placed notables but were quickly absorbed by guests.
Attendees were provided pre-printed name Avery 74461 badges created online at http://www.avery.com/avery/en_us/Templates-%26-Software/Software/Avery-Design–Print-Online.htm.
Merging CSV file of attendees (First name, Last name, class) with USNA Out logo in ULH corner, printed to PDFs which were then taken to FedEx to print on white & blue card stock.
Midshipmen had an option to be designated as “ok to be in photos” or “not ok.” All midshipmen name badges were reversible. Those who were OK were initially given their name badge with the white (same as alumni) side showing, those who were not comfortable were initially blue.
Program proceeded exactly per the programmed times.
Recommended changes: Add housekeeping announcements to the program. Needed announcements include:
“Awards” presentation choreography went as follows: Eight alumni introduced the eight soon to be ensigns from ’14 and each alum introduced the next alum. Because of the size of the crowd all of whom fit under the tent, the awards ceremony felt more intimate and personal than other outdoor presentations of the past.
Awards were given to all first class in attendance regardless of USNA Out membership as prescribed by the USNA Staff JAG.
Written script was provided to presenters.
Most of the name badges returned for reuse.
At the completion of the event, USNA Out has in stock:
NEEDS UPDATE FROM 2013
A big THANKS to all those who had roles in making the class of 2014 Midshipman’s Dinner happen. Special BRAVO ZULUs to:
Board member Kristin Barnes ’92 – who procured the ensign & 2Lt insignia for the soon-to-be graduates, ran interference with the Staff JAG, and wrapper the awards for presentation.
Special thanks to three members who were major contributors to the event, Jeff McClellen ’84, Rob Beer ’90, Mike Engler ’75 and the SIX other board members and SEVENTEEN other USNA Out members whose contributions allowed this event to be “no cost” to all midshipmen attending.
April 15, 2014
Naval Academy LGBT Alumni Honor Class of 2014
ANNAPOLIS, Md. – U.S. Naval Academy (USNA) Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) alumni, midshipmen and their guests gathered here Saturday to recognize alumni and midshipmen accomplishments over the last year, commemorating seven months since repeal of the law commonly known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”.
Thirty-one midshipmen of all four classes and their guests attended, along with 34 members of USNA Out – the LGBT organization of U.S. Naval Academy alumni. Sixteen of the midshipmen are seniors, who will graduate on May 29 and be the first class at Annapolis to graduate under the new policy that now allows gay, lesbian and bisexual military members to serve without fear of discharge. The new policy became effective in September 2011, a few weeks after classes resumed for the year at the academy.
Senior LGBT midshipmen who are USNA Out members organized the annual event, a tradition which began in 2009. Naval Academy faculty and staff members and representatives of the Naval Academy Alumni Association also attended at the invitation of the midshipmen. During the event, the midshipmen met with LGBT USNA alumni from classes spanning six decades, including active duty and retired officers. The dinner was hosted at the residence of an USNA Out member who resides in the Annapolis area.
Throughout the event, alumni offered their insights about the exciting careers the senior midshipmen will soon commence and also encouraged all of the midshipmen to do their best in preparing to serve as officers in the Navy and Marine Corps. Following the traditional cutting of the cake by the most senior and most junior members present (Classes of 1961 and 2017), the Deputy Commandant of Midshipmen gave the keynote address reminding the graduating class to apply their Naval Academy training when they enter the Fleet and of their unique responsibilities as leaders in the Navy. An alumnus then presented each senior with Navy ensign insignia to wear following commissioning. The insignia will symbolically remind recent graduates serving the nation that the LGBT alumni stand behind them with pride. The evening closed with a singing of the Naval Academy alma mater “Navy Blue and Gold,” led by past and present members of the Naval Academy Glee Club in attendance.
As part of the dinner, He has been a USNA Out member since its founding in 2003 and its chairman of the board since 2009.
Since 2005, individual USNA Out members have donated more than $130,000 in private contributions directly to the USNA Foundation. According to Henderson, “Even before DADT’s repeal, many USNA Out members individually supported our alma mater because we believed in its special mission to provide leaders for the Naval Service and the nation. Their donations and those like USNA Out’s help fund school programs that provide a margin of excellence beyond what the government provides. And with organizations such as USNA Out, I anticipate more alumni will rejuvenate their relationships with USNA, their classmates and other alumni. For the vast majority of alumni, USNA played a significant role in our lives.”
“According to the feedback we have received from our midshipmen members, gay and lesbian midshipmen feel more comfortable and no longer must separate their personal identity from their professional identity” said USNA Out Executive Director retired Cdr. Steve Hall, of San Francisco (USNA Class of 1975). “They now can singularly focus on being good junior officers in the fleet like all of their classmates. We think that’s good for USNA, the Navy and Marine Corps, and the country on many levels.” Hall served on active duty for 20 years and commanded two nuclear powered attack submarines during his Navy career.
USNA Out officials report that DADT repeal appears to be going without incident for alumni on active duty and for midshipmen at the academy. According to Hall “The overwhelming feedback from our alumni out in the fleet is that repeal has been implemented without problems and in those instances where gay and lesbian alumni have told shipmates, there hasn’t been a problem. I think that’s what we expected. Sailors and Marines judge our alumni based on their performance, not their orientation.”
USNA Out is an independent organization established in August 2003 following discussions by various groups of LGBT alumni about how they could become more involved as alumni of the Naval Academy. The group organized as a 501(c)(3) in late 2009.
USNA Out currently has 330 members, including 73 active duty alumni serving in the fleet. USNA Out currently counts 32 midshipmen identifying as gay, lesbian or bisexual at the Naval Academy who are official members of USNA Out. Hall added, “We know there are more gay, lesbian and bisexual midshipmen simply based on the demographics of the Naval Academy, which draws students from the population of the U.S at-large. However, identifying as LGBT is a personal decision based on many factors Regardless, we as LGBT alumni have and will continue to be there to support them.”
USNA Out’s mission and objectives are available at www.usnaout.org/mission. For more information about USNA Out, visit www.usnaout.org.
–USNA Out–
Continue reading “4/15/2014 – Naval Academy LGBT Alumni Honor Class of 2014”
USNA Out brings 2013 to a close with another year of very strong member support of the Naval Academy. Individual and joint contributions exceeded $23,000 for the year, our second strongest ever from our members only exceeded in the celebratory year that the cruel policy known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” ended.
In 2011, USNA Out provided the organization’s first unrestricted gift to the US Naval Academy Foundation. In 2012, pooled gifts by the membership provided a $4,000 gift via the foundation to provide seed funding to the Navy Spectrum.
Continue reading “2013 – Another Year of Strong Support to USNA”
