A Commitment to Supporting LGBTQ+ Veterans
2-minute read
A Commitment to Supporting LGBTQ+ Veterans
2-minute read
The decision to come out to fellow Veterans, family members, or friends as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or related identities is an intensely personal one.
LGBTQ+ Veterans living open, healthy lives
Some Veterans have faced pressures to hide their identity. Some have wrestled with the stress in deciding when — and even if — they will come out. Some have faced upsetting, unwanted sexual experiences.
These experiences can all cause trauma for the people going through them — and VA offers resources to help.
VA is committed to being a national leader in providing health care to LGBTQ+ Veterans and to ensuring that care is provided in a sensitive, safe environment at VA health facilities across the country.
- Learn more about the resources and support available to LGBTQ+ Veterans.
- View a list of VA facilities with LGBTQ+ program websites.
An “overwhelming weight” is how Tim, a Marine Corps Veteran, described the fear of being outed as a gay Marine serving under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.
“If you’re conflicted with your sexuality, stay true to who you are,” Tim says now. “The longer you try to deny who you are, the more trouble you’re gonna cause yourself, and … the more difficult it’s gonna be to find happiness.”
