Senate approves openly gay nominee as secretary of the army

The Senate Armed Services Committee has confirmed the first openly gay leader of a U.S. military service, voting Thursday to approve the nomination of Eric Fanning to be Army secretary.

Fanning has spent the last 25 years in government service, serving as Congressional staffer and consultant before joining the U.S. Department of Defense, where he has held both Air Force and Army positions. In July 2009, he began working as as deputy undersecretary and deputy chief management officer for the Department of the Navy. He was also deputy director of the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism.

Last year, Fanning was named special assistant to the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Defense in March, followed by an announcement that President Barack Obama would nominate Fanning as United States Secretary of the Army, which he followed through on in September. From November until January, he acted as the Secretary before leaving the seat to focus on his nomination.

It’s quite the résumé, especially for an openly gay man who was a member of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund from 2004 to 2007. Don’t Ask Don’t Tell wasn’t repealed until 2010.

With the senate approval of the nominee, President Obama’s historic nomination of Fanning to serve as secretary of the Army now heads to the full Senate for a final vote.

“We are thrilled to see Eric Fanning confirmed by the Senate Armed Services Committee,” said American Military Partner Association President Ashley Broadway-Mack. “History continues to be written and equality marches forward with the nomination of an openly gay man to serve in this significantly important role. Fanning’s expertise and knowledge within the defense community more than qualifies him to serve as Secretary of the Army. We urge the Senate to move quickly to confirm his appointment.”

But the future of Fanning’s nomination is still unclear, as Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., placed a hold on Fanning’s nomination in early November to protest President Barack Obama’s ongoing campaign to close the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, detention facility and transfer detainees to the United States.