Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough on Supporting LGBTQ Vets

Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Denis McDonough, visited Denver this past weekend to celebrate Denver PrideFest and recognize outstanding LGBTQ VA employees with the Secretary’s Coin. While he was in town, OFM had the chance to sit down with him and discuss the importance of supporting LGBTQ veterans.

Uplifting queer and trans folks is increasingly important, looking at the current political climate of the U.S.; extending that support and increase visibility for the LGBTQ employees and veterans is also important within the VA.

“We have a critical mission, that’s a national priority, which is to care for our vets,” McDonough says.

Secretary McDonough mentions President Biden’s assertion that taking care of veterans is the country’s “only solemn obligation” and that there is nothing more important for our government than to care for and serve those who serve our country and their families. In addition, McDonough says that the VA needs the best possible workforce in order to support our veterans and that to do this to the best of its ability the VA must embrace the full diversity of our country.

In reference to the changes within the VA and the military regarding queer people in recent years, McDonough says that he may not have the fullest understanding of the scope of change within the department, being that he’s not a veteran and has only been with the VA since President Biden appointed him in 2021.

However, he nods to a chat with a queer senior leader within the VA who could have chosen to work anywhere in the country but decided to work at the VA.

“He tells me that all people feel more seen today in the VA, irrespective of orientation, than they had felt, say a decade ago,” McDonough says, adding that it is his hope for the VA that all employees feel valued and seen and that they have opportunities to grow.

In the current U.S. climate, which is becoming increasingly more unsettling and often unsafe for folks in the queer community, it raises the question: How does the VA plan to continue supporting LGBTQ veterans, and what can McDonough do to further that aim from his position?

While the secretary couldn’t disclose any information on specific programs that would support queer veterans, he says that the VA will continue to work with LGBTQ care coordinators to help provide cutting-edge care for veterans.

In closing, McDonough reaffirms President Biden’s mission to uplift and support all veterans.

McDonough says, “What he means is to ‘fight like hell’ for all vets, not straight vets, not gay vets, not Black vets, not white vets, not Latino vets, but for all vets.”

Photo courtesy of Emma Mays