Gay Military Couples Might Get Some Benefits Despite Defense of Marriage Act
In 60 days Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell will be toast but the Defense of Marriage Act will continue to deny legally married military couples the same spousal benefits their straight counterparts enjoy. Or will it?
Marine Corps Major General Steven Hummer—the chief of staff for the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Implementation Team—said that over the next two months and beyond, his team will look into possibly extending some marital benefits to certain servicemembers and their designated beneficiaries. He also said he expects they’ll be able to do this without an executive order overriding DOMA.
“Beneficiaries?” Does that just apply to the spouses of gay soldiers or will all military personnel get to pick whomever they want to receive their benefits? Hmm…
Asked if the difference in gay and straight spousal benefits might cause friction in unit cohesion, Hummer replied that, as usual per military policy, he’ll deliver the beatdown on anyone who tries to start shit. Word.
But will Obama have to issue an extra measure protecting gay troops from military harassment? Hummer said “Hell no! We got a chain of command to handle that shit, don’t we?! Shit gurl, shit.”
Then Hummer delivered two snaps, a twist, a kiss and walked offstage with a savoir faire that can only be described as Janet Jackson-esque.*
*These things may not have happened exactly as described.
Photo via
Great! So, where’s the news on ENDA? It’s great that military GLB Americans won’t suffer legal discrimination in their workplace but what about the rest of GLBT Americans in the states that don’t offer any such laws??
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@Chris: said….
“Great! So, where’s the news on ENDA? It’s great that military GLB Americans won’t suffer legal discrimination in their workplace but what about the rest of GLBT Americans in the states that don’t offer any such laws??”
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You’re joking right? DADT was a federal law that stated that gays were second class citizens. It was the existence of laws like that that gave companies defenses in court when they tried to excuse anti-gay discrimination. This just doesn’t effect the military, there are only two federal laws that disignate gays as second class citizens and this was one of them. Going after DADT is what tipped some states like NY on the marriage issue.
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@Cam: Wasting your breath! Seriously, people don’t understand that DADT was bad because it was a federal law that contributed to bigotry. They all want ENDA because they imagine in this America where gay people can’t get any jobs simply because they are gay. The gay people that go to interviews with full piercings, long hair and in club clothes who don’t get hired all claim they were discriminated against simply because they were gay, and that adds “evidence” of the need for ENDA.
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I may be wrong but I think we’re already allowed to pick our beneficiaries. I know there’s still an issue with military housing(same-sex married couples don’t qualify) and also the benefits that living soldiers(again married same-sex couples don’t qualify)..
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I can almost swear i read an article months ago about a gay man who died in the navy selecting his husband as his beneficiary and the navy upheld it. This was even before DADT got repealed.
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@Gay Veteran: Edit
*benefits that living soldiers receive
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@(): What’s the matter, ()? You sporting a tiny, little cock the size of an infant and you’re afraid someone might see it in the barracks?
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Ending DADT has already weakened support for DOMA. FYI – http://OutMilitary.com is providing a supportive place for gay servicemen and women to friend, share and network in a post DADT era.