The U.S. Senate late Tuesday unanimously confirmed Eric Fanning as Secretary of the Army, making him the highest-ranking openly gay official at the Pentagon and the first openly gay man to lead a branch of the U.S. military.
Fanning, 47, was nominated by President Barack Obama in September, and his confirmation comes five years after the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” the policy that did not allow gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military. (As a holder of civilian roles in the Defense Department, DADT did not necessarily apply to Fanning.)
“Eric Fanning’s historic confirmation today as Secretary of the U.S. Army is a demonstration of the continued progress towards fairness and equality in our nation’s armed forces,” Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin said in a statement Tuesday night.
