It's Time Again For The Herndon Climb: PHOTOS

BY SAM GREISMAN

Well, it's the time again for the sexiest and possibly the most homoerotic tradition that happens at the Naval Academy in Annapolis. In case you don't know, every May the upperclassmen grease up the Herndon Monument and shirtless plebes struggle and flex their way up it as they progress to midshipmen.

Much more, AFTER THE JUMP...

This grouping of greasy photos comes courtesy of Washington, DC-based photographer Scott Henrichsen whose physique work can be found here. Also check out scottfoto.com for his commercial work. 

Feel free to revisit past Herndon climbs, here, here, and here.

Pentagon Recognizes for First Time That Transgender Veterans Exist

The Department of Defense for the first time has made an official acknowledgement that transgender people have served in a uniformed capacity in the armed forces by reflecting in its records the gender identification of activist and veteran Autumn Sandeen, Buzzfeed reports.

In a short letter dated May 2, a Navy official told Autumn Sandeen, a veteran and transgender activist: “Per your request the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) has been updated to show your gender as female effective April 12, 2013.”

Sandeen’s military identification card now reflects the change, a move called “quite significant” by the head of OutServe-SLDN, a national organization for LGBT service members and veterans and their families.

“The fact that a process exists [to change the gender listed] indicates that there are people in the Department of Defense who are aware of the needs of transgender retirees and who are working to see those needs met. And, in that sense, the significance of this symbolic act for our broader work and for our goal of open service becomes I think a little bit more apparent,” OutServe-SLDN executive director Allyson Robinson told BuzzFeed.

Much more at Buzzfeed...

The Military's Sexual Assault Problem Affects Men and Women, Gay and Straight

By ARI EZRA WALDMAN

The United States military has a rape problem, and it's nothing new.

Earlier this week, two women -- Rebekah Havrilla and BriGette McCoy -- appeared before a Senate subcommittee chaired by New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand to recount their experiences of being raped and sexually harassed during their time in the military. They were joined by one man, Brian Lewis, who testified that he was raped by a senior officer in the Air Force while serving on the island of Guam. It was the first time a male victim appeared before Congress to discuss his sexual assault.

Their heartbreaking stories of abuse and command inaction are bad enough on their own; in the context of a military in which rape, sexual assault, and harassment are more common than morning coffee, they are downright enraging. According to the military's own report, the number of service members anonymously reporting a sexual assault jumped more than 30% in the past two years. In 2012, more than 26,000 troops reported experiencing "unwanted sexual contact," a significant jump from the 19,300 who reported such victimization in 2010. What's more, 10,700 of the 19,300 victims in 2010 were men. And that covers only those incidents reported to authorities; men are far less likely to report being victims of sexual assault, especially in a macho, testosterone-filled environment like the military. The real numbers are probably shockingly high.

P erhaps as high -- if not higher -- as they were in 1991, when 83 women and 7 men were assaulted during the Tailhook convention in Las Vegas in September 1991. Even that scandal, which was supposed to change the military forever, did not result in a single prosecution. The bankruptcy of the military justice system came back into the news recently when an Air Force general tossed out the conviction of an officer after the officer had been convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a woman. 

This unique and dangerous facet of the military criminal justice system -- the near boundless discretion given to the so-called "convening authority" to sign off on, reject, or modify the sentence of a general court-martial -- is complicit in the growing epidemic of sexual crimes in the military today. But it is not alone. 

Let's discuss the elements of military law that are contributing to this problem,
AFTER THE JUMP...

Navy Launches Unmanned Drone from Aircraft Carrier: VIDEO

The U.S. Navy is cheering a milestone in drone warfare, Reuters reports:

The bat-winged X-47B stealth drone roared off the USS George H.W. Bush near the coast of Virginia and flew a series of pre-programmed maneuvers around the ship before veering away toward a Naval air station in Maryland where it was scheduled to land.

"This is really a red-letter day. May 14 we all saw history happen" said Rear Admiral Ted Branch, the Atlantic naval air commander. "It's a marker ... between naval aviation as we've known it and the future of naval aviation with the launch of the X-47B."

Gizmodo adds:

"In a few decades, when autonomous drone planes battle each other in the skies, fire missiles at drone troops and battleships, humanity will look back at this day as the true beginning of total drone warfare...Sooner than we think, the Pentagon will be able to easily and conveniently deploy autonomous fighters, and bombers anywhere in the globe thanks to their aircraft carriers. And then, one day, Skynet will gain self-awareness. Fun times ahead!

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Father and Son Soldiers to Bike 1,800 Miles to Boy Scouts HQ to Protest Gay Ban: VIDEO

Army Spc. Joe McGrath, who came home April 15 from a year-long deployment in Kuwait, and his father Dave, a former Army Airborne Ranger, are taking on the Boy Scouts, Idaho's Local8 News reports:

These two warriors are home now, in Idaho Falls together. Now, father and son are about to fight one of those wars that don't look like war. "I have six sons, two of whom are gay," said Dave McGrath. "I have an identical twin brother who is an Eagle Scout, and he's gay."

Thinking about his family, a typically talkative Dave McGrath edges on with a quieter tone. "I love the Boy Scouts," he said. "I wish them all the best, and yet they discriminate against people I love." 

Dave McGrath is a lifetime scout -- but right now the honor weighs heavy on his shoulders He knows not everybody can be one. "Some of us have gay people that we love," he said.

Father and son will bike 1,800 miles to Boy Scout headquarters so McGrath can pin his "95 objections to their stupid policy" on the door.

Watch a report on their amazing mission, AFTER THE JUMP...

Waking Up with Two Gay Marines: VIDEO

It's been a while since we checked in with gay Marine vloggers Russ and Matt. In his latest vid, Russ gives us "a day in the life" which turns out to be pretty ordinary, yet cutely compelling, Easter pizza and all.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...