Women and LGBTQ service members’ fight for equality

Stacy Pearsall started the Veterans Portrait Project in 2008, inspired by the veterans from every generation and branch of service she encountered at VA waiting rooms during her own rehabilitation from combat injuries in Iraq. She took the first portrait in 2008, then toured the country, shooting portraits of more than 8,500 veterans in all 50 states.

‘Where Were You?’–Memories of Sept. 11 Still Surface Through Veteran’s Portrait

by Captain R. Van September 11, 2024January 14, 2026

Sitting for a portrait can be fun. Yet being photographed for the Veterans Portrait Project in the Military Women’s Memorial unnerved me to tears.

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‘Righting an Historic Wrong’: President Biden to Pardon LGBTQ Veterans Convicted of Crimes Over Sexual Orientation

by Anne Marshall-Chalmers June 26, 2024May 15, 2025

In a historic move to address a legacy of discrimination in the U.S. military, President Joe Biden on Wednesday will announce a plan to pardon thousands of LGBTQ veterans who were criminally charged and forced from the service because of their sexual orientation.

Three years after Secretary Denis McDonough promised that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs would begin covering gender-affirming surgery, that commitment has still not been met. Stock photo.

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Years Later, VA Still Has Not Fulfilled Promise to Cover Gender-Affirming Care

by Eden Stratton March 28, 2024August 8, 2025

Transgender veterans say they see the latest Department of Veterans Affairs delays as further evidence of politically motivated bias against them.

Another Summit, a program based in the Hudson Valley, just north of New York City, offers outdoor adventures for veterans and first responders at no cost to them. Photo courtesy of the author.

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A Soldier Found Healing Outdoors. Now He Wants to Break Down Barriers for Others.

by Francisco Martínezcuello March 7, 2024January 14, 2026

Study identifies barriers that might keep nonwhite, disabled, or elderly veterans from participating in outdoor recreation.

In 1974, the U.S. Navy designated its first female naval aviators, four of whom posed for a photograph during their flight instruction. Pictured left to right are Ensign Rosemary Conaster, Ensign Jane Skiles, Lt. (junior grade) Barbara Allen, and Lt. (junior grade) Judith Neuffer. Allen, the first to receive her wings, was killed in a training accident in 1982. The other three officers pictured eventually retired as captains. Photo courtesy of the Naval History and Heritage Command.

Reflections

They Were Worried About the Color of Our Bras. We Were Busy Spearheading Change.

by Captain R. Van January 10, 2024September 1, 2024

During a course at Keesler Air Force Base, R. Van was called by an Air Force major to discuss a matter that required “delicacy” involving a girl and a bra.

As the military prepares to move sexual assault out of military commanders’ hands, The War Horse team looked at military women’s noncombat, not-from-natural-causes deaths since 9/11 and found a high rate of self-inflicted deaths after sexual assault, a bureacracy that promises cultural change but faces the same egregious headlines year after year, continuing problems with domestic violence, and punishment for those who do the right thing. But the team also found examples of units where women felt safe and respected based on culture change buy-in from their unit leadership. Art by Sarah Flores/for The War Horse.

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Short Changed: No Justice at Fort Hood for Another Woman Soldier and a Commander Who Tried to Help

by Kelly Kennedy December 14, 2023July 25, 2025

As Vanessa Guillén’s body was found, a commander who tried to do the right thing after false accusations lost his career.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III speaks to servicewomen at the Military Women’s Memorial 25th Anniversary Ceremony at the Military Women’s Memorial in Arlington, Virginia, in October 2022. Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Alexander Kubitza, courtesy of the Defense Department.

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Short Changed: Military Women Face Assault, Harassment, Death. Is Culture to Blame?

by Kristin Davis December 7, 2023December 7, 2023

The history of the military’s response to women’s service has led to an entrenched separate-and-unequal environment.

The Army Honor Guard meets Saria Hildabrand’s body as it arrives in Utah. Photo courtesy of Meredith Barney.

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Short Changed: Military Comes with Unique Risks for Domestic Violence, Can Silence Survivors

by Sonner Kehrt and Anne Marshall-Chalmers November 30, 2023January 22, 2026

A War Horse review of military women’s noncombat deaths since 9/11 found domestic violence often ended in death.

Midshipmen march to lunch at the U.S. Naval Academy during the National Discussion on Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment at America’s Colleges, Universities, and Service Academies in 2019. Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Sarah Villegas, courtesy of the U.S. Navy.

Reflections

Short Changed: Military Women’s Deaths by Suicide Linked to Sexual Trauma

by Sonner Kehrt November 16, 2023July 25, 2025

While men in the military have alarmingly high rates of suicide, the rates among military women are rising faster, and their reasons are different.

It took a decade for the author to talk about what happened to her while deployed. Photo courtesy of Unsplash.

Reflections

He Spent Years Learning Other People’s Secret Pains. I Spent Years Hiding Mine.

by E.V. November 15, 2023January 22, 2026

E.V.’s husband spent years serving military sexual trauma survivors, unaware that she, too, was one.

Adrienne Barillas leans against a Humvee in South Korea. “She was so proud of wearing that uniform and all that it supposedly represented,” her mother says. “Sometimes I get mad at her for choosing to wear that uniform, then I feel guilty for those bitter thoughts and emotions.” Photo courtesy of Emogene Barillas.

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Short Changed: How The Army Failed Spc. Adrienne Barillas

by Thomas J. Brennan November 8, 2023September 29, 2025

Adrienne Barillas was found naked outside of an Army barracks. The Army ruled her death a suicide. Soldiers and family members say there’s more to the story.

Gallery of black women shwo have served as Command Sergeants Major

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Sergeants Major Built a Culture of Camaraderie, as Soldiers and as Black Women

by Eden Stratton and Anne Marshall-Chalmers October 5, 2023January 29, 2026

Despite making up just 36% of the women of the U.S. Army, Black women soldiers make up almost half of women command sergeants major.

Gender

‘Where Were You?’–Memories of Sept. 11 Still Surface Through Veteran’s Portrait

‘Righting an Historic Wrong’: President Biden to Pardon LGBTQ Veterans Convicted of Crimes Over Sexual Orientation

Years Later, VA Still Has Not Fulfilled Promise to Cover Gender-Affirming Care

A Soldier Found Healing Outdoors. Now He Wants to Break Down Barriers for Others.

They Were Worried About the Color of Our Bras. We Were Busy Spearheading Change.

Short Changed: No Justice at Fort Hood for Another Woman Soldier and a Commander Who Tried to Help

Short Changed: Military Women Face Assault, Harassment, Death. Is Culture to Blame?

Short Changed: Military Comes with Unique Risks for Domestic Violence, Can Silence Survivors

Short Changed: Military Women’s Deaths by Suicide Linked to Sexual Trauma

He Spent Years Learning Other People’s Secret Pains. I Spent Years Hiding Mine.

Short Changed: How The Army Failed Spc. Adrienne Barillas

Sergeants Major Built a Culture of Camaraderie, as Soldiers and as Black Women

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