Speaking at a Pride Month event at the Defense Department, Space Force Chief Operating Officer Lt. Gen. DeAnna Burt said "more than 400 anti-LGBTQ+ laws have been introduced at the state level" since January.
"That number is rising and demonstrates a trend that could be dangerous for service members, their families and the readiness of the force as a whole," Burt said.
And Gil Cisneros, the Pentagon's undersecretary for personnel and readiness, said "LGBTQ+ and other diverse communities are under attack, just because they are different. Hate for hate's sake."
Military personnel "must stick together and we must be prepared to confront any such challenge directly," added Cisneros, a former Democratic House member who is also the Defense Department's chief diversity and inclusion officer.
GOP-led state legislatures have passed a spate of new laws this past year targeting the LGBTQ community that restrict gender-affirming health care for transgender youth, prohibit the discussion of gender and sexuality in schools and place bans on drag shows.
Republican lawmakers have also harshly criticized Pentagon leaders for personnel policies that promote diversity and inclusion and seek to weed out extremist ideology. Such efforts, GOP lawmakers have said, distract from military readiness and hurt recruiting and retention efforts.
Amid the rebukes, Pentagon leaders late last month enforced a military-wide ban on drag performances, prohibiting them on all installations. The ban stems from a long-standing DOD policy that has not always been applied, but critics say the Pentagon appears to have acquiesced to GOP pressure to cancel such performances on bases and ships.
And earlier Wednesday, Alex Wagner, Assistant Air Force Secretary for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, said he's worried about being forced to move families from bases due to their LGBTQ children experiencing bullying and harassment in schools.
"If service members are thinking and concerned about the experience their kids are having, they're not going to be focused on their jobs. They're not gonna be focused on their mission," Wagner said.
Read the full report at TheHill.com.
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