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Collins V. United States
''Collins v. United States'' is a class-action lawsuit filed on November 10, 2010, against the United States in the United States Court of Federal Claims that ended in a settlement on January 7, 2013. The lead plaintiff, former U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant Richard Collins, was honorably discharged under "Don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) after nine years of service after two civilian co-workers saw him kissing his civilian boyfriend. Once discharged, Collins discovered that his separation pay was half that normally paid to servicemembers separated from the military under the designation "honorably discharged". The Department of Defense (DoD) had an established policy that provided that servicemembers honorably discharged receive half the normal separation pay if they were not eligible for reenlistment. Those discharged as homosexuals under DADT as well as those discharged for medical reasons were ineligible for reenlistment and therefore received half the standard separation pay. On C ...
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United States Court Of Federal Claims
The United States Court of Federal Claims (in case citations, Fed. Cl. or C.F.C.) is a United States federal court that hears monetary claims against the U.S. government. It was established by statute in 1982 as the United States Claims Court, and took its current name in 1992. The court is the successor to trial division of the United States Court of Claims, which was established in 1855. The courthouse of the Court of Federal Claims is situated in the Howard T. Markey National Courts Building (on Madison Place across from the White House) in Washington, D.C. History Court of Claims (1855–1982) The court traces its origins directly back to 1855, when Congress established the United States Court of Claims to provide for the determination of private claims against the United States government. The legislation was signed into law on February 24, 1855, by President Franklin Pierce. Throughout its 160-year history, although it has undergone notable changes in name, size, ...
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Don't Ask, Don't Tell
"Don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) was the official United States policy on military service of non-heterosexual people, instituted during the Clinton administration. The policy was issued under Department of Defense Directive 1304.26 on December 21, 1993, and was in effect from February 28, 1994, until September 20, 2011. The policy prohibited military personnel from discriminating against or harassing closeted homosexual or bisexual service members or applicants, while barring openly gay, lesbian, or bisexual persons from military service. This relaxation of legal restrictions on service by gays and lesbians in the armed forces was mandated by Public Law 103–160 (Title 10 of the United States Code §654), which was signed November 30, 1993. The policy prohibited people who "demonstrate a propensity or intent to engage in homosexual acts" from serving in the armed forces of the United States, because their presence "would create an unacceptable risk to the high standards of mor ...
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United States Department Of Defense
The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD or DOD) is an executive branch department of the federal government charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government directly related to national security and the United States Armed Forces. The DoD is the largest employer in the world, with over 1.34 million active-duty service members (soldiers, marines, sailors, airmen, and guardians) as of June 2022. The DoD also maintains over 778,000 National Guard and reservists, and over 747,000 civilians bringing the total to over 2.87 million employees. Headquartered at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C., the DoD's stated mission is to provide "the military forces needed to deter war and ensure our nation's security". The Department of Defense is headed by the secretary of defense, a cabinet-level head who reports directly to the president of the United States. Beneath the Department of Defense are th ...
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Servicemembers Legal Defense Network
OutServe-SLDN was a network of LGBT military personnel, formed as a result of the merger between OutServe and the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. OutServe-SLDN was one of the largest LGBT employee resource groups in the world. OutServe was founded by a 2009 graduate of the US Air Force Academy, Josh Seefried (also known as JD Smith to protect his identity) and Ty Walrod. There were over 7,000 members and 80 chapters worldwide. On July 2, 2012, OutServe announced that it would merge with Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, an organization that advocates on behalf of and provides legal services to gay and lesbian military personnel and veterans, in October 2012. On October 25, 2012, Allyson Robinson was the first Executive Director of OutServe-SLDN following the merger of those two organizations. She was the first transgender person to ever lead a national LGBT rights organization that does not have an explicit transgender focus. As part of an extensive reorganization and ...
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American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1920 "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States". The ACLU works through litigation and lobbying, and has over 1,800,000 members as of July 2018, with an annual budget of over $300 million. Affiliates of the ACLU are active in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The ACLU provides legal assistance in cases where it considers civil liberties to be at risk. Legal support from the ACLU can take the form of direct legal representation or preparation of '' amicus curiae'' briefs expressing legal arguments when another law firm is already providing representation. In addition to representing persons and organizations in lawsuits, the ACLU lobbies for policy positions that have been established by its board of directors. Current positions of the ACLU include opposing the ...
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Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act Of 2010
The Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010 (, ) is a landmark United States federal statute enacted in December 2010 that established a process for ending the "don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) policy (), thus allowing gay, lesbian, and bisexual people to serve openly in the United States Armed Forces. It ended the policy in place since 1993 that allowed them to serve only if they kept their sexual orientation secret and the military did not learn of their sexual orientation, which was controversial. The Act established a process for ending the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. The Act did not ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in the military, as provided for in the proposed Military Readiness Enhancement Act. President Barack Obama, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen provided the certification required by the Act to Congress on July 22, 2011. Implementation of repeal was completed 60 days later, ...
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Sexual Orientation And The United States Military
The United States military formerly excluded gay men, bisexuals, and lesbians from service. In 1993, the United States Congress passed, and President Bill Clinton signed a law instituting the policy commonly referred to as "Don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) which allowed gay, lesbian, and bisexual people to serve as long as they did not reveal their sexual orientation. Although there were isolated instances in which service personnel were met with limited success through lawsuits, efforts to end the ban on openly gay, lesbian, and bisexual people serving either legislatively, or through the courts initially proved unsuccessful. In 2010, two federal courts ruled the ban on openly gay, lesbian, and bisexual service personnel unconstitutional, and on July 6, 2011, a federal appeals court suspended the DADT policy. In December 2010, the House and Senate passed and President Barack Obama signed the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010, and under its provisions, restrictions on serv ...
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Sexual Orientation And Gender Identity In The United States Military
In the past most lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) personnel had major restrictions placed on them in terms of service in the United States military. sexual orientation and gender identity in the United States military varies greatly as the United States Armed Forces have become increasingly openly diverse in the regards of LGBTQ people and acceptance towards them. According to a 2015 report from the RAND Corporation, a survey of over 16,000 service members found that 6.1% of the respondents identified as being LGBT, with 4.2% of males and 16.6% of females identifying as LGBT. When sexual orientation and gender identity are separated, 5.8% were lesbian, gay or bisexual, and 0.6% were transgender (0.3% of transgender respondents also identified as lesbian, gay or bisexual). By demographics Non-heterosexuals Until 1993, military policy strictly forbid non-heterosexuals from serving in the military. From 1993, the military used its "Don't ask, don't tell" pol ...
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List Of Class-action Lawsuits
This page has a list of lawsuits brought as class actions. Class action lawsuits Lawsuits related to class action {, class="wikitable sortable" ! Lawsuit !! Subject of lawsuit !! Court of decision !! Year of decision , - , '' AT&T Mobility v. Concepcion'' , , contracts that exclude class action arbitration , , Supreme Court of the United States , , 2011 , - , '' Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith, Inc. v. Dabit'' , , SLUSA preempting state law class action claims , , Supreme Court of the United States , , 2006 , - , ''West v. Randall'' , , required parties to class action , , United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit , , See also Class action lawyers *William Lerach (class action lawyer) * Tim Misny (class action lawyer) * David I. Shapiro (class action lawyer) *Paul Sprenger (lawyer representing employees in class actions) *Harvey Thomas Strosberg (Canadian class action lawyer) *Ted Wells (lawyer representing corporations in class actions) Class ac ...
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2010 In LGBT History
This is a list of notable events in the history of LGBT rights that took place in the year 2010. Events February * 2 – The United States Tax Court ruled in '' O'Donnabhain v. Commissioner'' that taxpayers may deduct the medical costs associated with treating gender identity disorder from their federal income taxes. March *1 – Crime Decree 2009 decriminalises in Fiji. Fiji became the first Pacific Island country to formally decriminalise homosexuality. * 2 – The European Court of Human Rights ruled unanimously against "a blanket exclusion of persons living in a homosexual relationship from succession to a tenancy" in ''Kozak v. Poland''. * 4 – Mexico City's same-sex marriage and adoption laws come into effect. This follows 22 couples' taking part in a symbolic marriage ceremony in Tlaxcala on February 26 to highlight the issue. * 9 – The first same-sex marriages are performed in the District of Columbia, with licenses having been available sin ...
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