Obama Appoints Eric Fanning as First Openly Gay US Army Secretary

President Obama is nominating a gay man to lead the Army, and if confirmed the nominee would become the first openly gay civilian secretary of any branch of the military on more than an interim basis. As Army secretary, he would be partnered with Gen. Mark Milley, who took over as the Army’s top general in August. He is now serving as chief of staff for Secretary of Defense Ash Carter and would replace John McHugh, who is stepping down November . 1.

“These fine public servants bring a depth of experience and tremendous dedication to their important roles”. “I look forward to working with Eric to keep our Army the best in the world”.

Fanning will still need to be confirmed by the Senate before taking over as the Army’s top civilian.

This photo provided by the U.S. Air Force shows Eric Fanning speaking at the 30th Space Symposium Corporate Partnership dinner May 20, 2014, in Colorado Springs, Colo. From March to June, Fanning was Carter’s chief of staff. He worked for Business Executives for National Security, first as the Washington regional director in 2001 and then as senior vice president for strategic development from 2001-2007. “This is a sign of hope and a demonstration of continued progress towards fairness and equality in our nation’s armed forces”, said Chad Griffin, president of the LGBT rights organization.

Fanning now faces congressional confirmation.

The Defense Department’s highest ranking transgender official, Amanda Simpson, was sworn in today as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Operational Energy. In a 2013 interview with the Washington Blade, Fanning said he supports openly transgender service and, as has now come to pass, adding sexual orientation to the list of protected classes under the Military Equal Opportunity policy.

Bridget Johnson is a veteran journalist whose news articles and opinion columns have run in dozens of news outlets across the globe.