ABOVE: Gina Ortiz Jones, Photo by Ana Isabel Photography.
Gina Ortiz Jones, an openly out lesbian and U.S. Air Force veteran, who served in the Iraq war before twice running two close races nearly winning the seat representing Texas’ 23rd congressional district, was announced as President Joe Biden’s nominee as Under Secretary of the Air Force.
The White House announced the nomination Tuesday afternoon. If confirmed by the U.S. Senate she will become the first Filipina to serve in that role.
“We are beyond thrilled,” Jennifer Dane, executive director of the Modern Military Association of America, which advocates for LGBTQ personnel and veterans told the Blade in a phone call Tuesday afternoon.
“She represents diverse intersections of minority groups and her visibility at the top echelons of leadership is exactly what our communities need. …She knows firsthand what damaging effects discriminatory policies like ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ have on the health and wellbeing of the force.”
During her 2020 congressional run, Jones ran in a district right on the U.S.-Mexico border as President Trump’s immigration policy was front-and-center in the media
Jones told the Washington Blade in July 2019 the zero-tolerance border policy under President Trump was “shortsighted at best” and “cruel at worst.”
“It’s an economic crisis,” Jones said at the time. “It’s certainly a moral crisis when you think about what’s happening in some of these detention centers and Texas 23 is on the frontline of this, I mean literally and figuratively.”
When the National Republican Congressional Committee posted a picture of Jones with her spouse on its website for potential attacks against the candidate, LGBTQ rights advocates condemned it as homophobic attack. Jones ended up raising around $100,000 in campaign funds in the aftermath of the controversy.
The White House announcement on Jones comes days after news the president intends to nominate two other LGBTQ nominees to high-ranking defense roles. Brenda Sue Fulton, a lesbian activist who fought for “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal, obtained the nod to become assistant secretary of defense for manpower and reserve affairs, while Shawn Skelly, a transgender national security expert, obtained the nomination to become assistant secretary of defense for readiness,
Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), chair of the House Armed Services Committee, praised the selection of Jones as Air Force under secretary and said she “served her country both in and out of uniform.”
“If confirmed, Ms. Jones would be the first woman of color to serve as Under Secretary of the Air Force, marking yet another historic nomination as the Biden-Harris administration continues to prove their commitment to building a diverse Department of Defense that reflects the American population,” Smith said.
