In an apparent effort to help homosexual military members gain access to the most benefits they legally can, the Defense Department issued a “reminder” that some benefits are “member-designated.” These benefits can go to any person, regardless of relationship (and thus avoid the restrictions of, say, the Defense of Marriage Act).
The DoD “identified” 14 benefits that can be designated to any person: Read more
Homosexual Marine Cpl. Ashley Vice and her partner, Jaime Murphy, “married” two straight Marines, Cpls. Jeremiah Griffin and Joseph Garner, to obtain the financial benefits of marriage without intending to actually be married. All three have reportedly been discharged for bad conduct.
Three Marine corporals have been discharged for Read more
While homosexual ceremonies may be permissible on military institutions according to the Pentagon, it appears that ruling may not extend to the Catholic chapel at West Point.
Taylor Henry, spokesman for Archbishop Timothy Broglio — who oversees all Catholic chaplains in the US military — said
the Holy Trinity chapel at the famous military school is a Catholic parish, unlike the non-denominational chapels that are found on other military installations, and that the only services held there are Catholic services.
Since the Roman Catholic Church “does not perform the sacrament of matrimony for same-sex couples,” no such ceremonies will take place at that institution, Henry said.
In addition, consistent with the military’s message on the matter, Henry explicitly said no Catholic chaplain would be performing similar ceremonies of “unions between individuals of the same gender resembling marriage.”
Broglio also noted what some are saying is an inconsistency between the military’s recent policy and the Defense of Marriage Act: Read more
Though “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” has been repealed, its controversies continue.
Military chaplains can preside over same-sex marriages on military installations in places where same-sex marriage is not prohibited by state and local laws, according to a new Pentagon policy unveiled Sept. 30.
Having the ability to “preside over” ceremonies was never really in question. Rather, the grand controversy was the use of federal facilities to conduct ceremonies not recognized by federal law. Though not specifically referring to same-sex ceremonies, this, too was addressed: Read more
An article from the northwest highlights the “training” on DADT repeal that occurred at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, which one Captain said was “not a lot of change.”
Captain Ben Schneller, who delivered the briefings as an Army company commander, also expressed a bit of confusion after giving the training:
Schneller sounds confident…but he’ll have to work through a few gray areas that are arising because of the Defense of Marriage Act…
For example, line commanders will have to decide whether to grant emergency leave in certain situations for gay soldiers if their partners become seriously ill. Schneller says he faces the same choice with any soldier whose relatives fall sick.
The article contains the first reference to the Department of Defense officially endorsing the “loophole” groups have advocated to allow homosexuals Read more
In perhaps the most dismissed — and yet most widely predicted — response to the repeal of the policy known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” a homosexual advocacy group is pushing for military benefits currently denied to homosexuals.
Far from simply relying on the eventual undoing of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network says the military can actually grant benefits consistent with the law: Read more
FoxNews notes a gathering of Chaplains and endorsers who are forming a “coalition” to
provide legal and other support for chaplains and soldiers who might be disciplined over conflicts concerning their views on homosexuality.
According to the article, the Chaplains and their endorsers are concerned about how the integration of openly homosexual military members will actually play out — not just how the DoD says it will.
The article explains the disconnect, when the military responded to the questions with a standard refrain:
“We’re working under the assumption that DOMA (the Defense of Marriage Act) is the law of the land and we haven’t been working in anticipation of anything else right now,” said [Chaplain Carleton Birch, spokesperson for the Army Chief of Chaplains].
Retired Chaplain (COL) Ron Crews has helped found the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty, and says that’s precisely Read more
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