Via AmericaBlog:
Our site, AMERICAblog, was previously banned for being “LGBT,” but now we’re only banned at least by the Air Force, for being “political” and “activist.” The government is banning my Web site for being “political” while permitting other Republican “political” Web sites. Daily Kos is banned as well. Anyone else smelling a Big Brother constitutional problem with that?
I had a few different contacts try accessing a variety of sites on Pentagon computers, in order to confirm this, including Zeke Stokes, communications director for OutServe-SLDN, who confirmed via one of their military members. Note what they found.
Emphasis mine.
Don't worry, servicemembers, if you're interested in politics and activism, the Department of Defense is good with you getting that news from Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter. Neither of their sites trigger the "politics" or "activism" filter block.
That's understandable, right? Just straight news there.
The Department of Defense is still blocking servicemembers' access to perfectly reasonable sites. Moreover, screen captures obtained via Servicemembers Legal Defense Network/Outserve show that there's a whole category for blocking: "LGBT."
Access blocked to the popular news and entertainment site
Towleroad.
Today's front page; looks salacious, huh?
LGBT category filter tag.
The LGBT filter existed before the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, but still has not been fixed. And the Pentagon was notified of the problem as early as last summer, 2012. Yet no one’s gotten around to doing anything about it. I’m also told that the censorship varies service and geographical reason – it’s not entirely clear why the Pentagon doesn’t use the same bans nationwide and agency-wide, if it’s going to use any bans at all. This problem has to be fixed Pentagon-wide.
Even before repeal I'm not sure it was appropriate to block "LGBT" as a wholesale category. The American Civil Liberties Union has put a lot of skin in the game of
ending wholesale blocking of sites at schools that leave kids without access to sites like It Gets Better, Gay Straight Alliance clubs or anti-bullying initiatives.
Also blocked is JoshSeefried.com. Ironically, Seefried is the co-director of OutServe, a network of LGBT servicemembers and worked closely with the Pentagon on Don't Ask, Don't Tell repeal. His site is innocuous but may acknowledge the existence of LGBT people from time to time.
This story demonstrates that even post-DADT repeal there is still a lot of work to do changing the entrenched homophobia in military culture.
And there is no reason military members should not have access to this site.
Update: After reading the comments it seems reports are mixed regarding whether this site is block or not, some saying yes, some saying no. It stands to reason the decision to block or not block sites is made at the commanding officer level, not the Pentagon or DOD level. It also seems the criteria for allowing or banning a site is rather arbitrary. Much like Ann Coulter is not an "activist political site" but Daily Kos is; which is not to give credence to the idea that an "activist political site," liberal or conservative, is a good reason to block a site.