Frank Moulton American Veterans (AMVETS) Post 66 in Palm Springs will hold their annual Diversity Day Program on Saturday, March 8, 2025. The program will take place at the American Legion Hall which is located at 400 North Belardo Road in Palm Springs. The event begins at 11:30 AM. It is free and open to the public including people who are not veterans.
The Post will honor guest speaker Laura Meeks. Laura is a TG veteran and member of the Post. She is a retired Air Force Major. She was a pilot for the B-52 aircraft and part of the Strategic Air Command (SAC).
Tom Swann Hernandez, Founder and Commander of the Post said the following:
“In recent times the TG community has come under attack. The federal government has dismantled Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs. There are plans to discharge over 2,000 TG service members of our armed forces. Polls show that a majority of people oppose this plan. Our Post wants to educate the public about the heroic and brave service of our TG community. Laura is a wonderful example of the ability of TG to perform exceptionally well in our military.”
The event also includes a 67th birthday party for Tom Swann Hernandez. Tom’s birthday is March 5. Tom and the ACLU won a historic discrimination complaint against the Navy in 1994 that was a national news story. In 1995 Tom was grand marshal of the Palm Springs Pride Parade. Tom is the gay veteran that in 1999 asked former Palm Springs Mayor Will Kleindienst to enable LGBTQ veterans to march in the annual Veterans Day Parade. In 2001 Tom led the effort to dedicate America’s first LGBTQ Veterans Memorial in Cathedral City. This was also a national news story. In 2016 Tom and his husband Guillermo Hernandez held the first same-sex marriage in immigration history. This was an international news story. The couple will celebrate their ninth wedding anniversary on March 14.
Tom is extremely happy to report that Austin-Macauley Book Publishing Company in New York City has agreed to publish Tom’s first and third books. The first book will be released this summer.
Tom has written three books since he became legally blind due to AIDS in 1998. Last year Tom was recognized for being one of a few gay men that is still alive forty years later after he enrolled in the first national HIV research study by NIH in 1984.
