Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel Declares Victory On National Guard Issue

Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel today declared that National Guard units in all states are now in compliance with his directive that same-sex spouses be allowed to register for military benefits. Here is his full statement.

On October 31, I called on the Chief of the National Guard Bureau to work with several states to fully implement DoD policy by providing DoD ID cards to all eligible military spouses, regardless of sexual orientation. Following consultations between the National Guard Bureau and the Adjutants General of the states, all eligible service members, dependents and retirees - including same-sex spouses - are now able to obtain ID cards in every state. All military spouses and families sacrifice on behalf of our country. They deserve our respect and the benefits they are entitled to under the law. All of DoD is committed to pursuing equal opportunities for all who serve this nation, and I will continue to work to ensure our men and women in uniform as well as their families have full and equal access to the benefits they deserve.

Suh-nap.

UPDATE: The ACLU reacts via press release.

This is a welcome announcement, and one that Secretary Hagel deserves credit for making happen. The resistance on the part of some governors on extending these benefits to same-sex couples was a grossly unfair violation of federal law that turned the promise of equal treatment for all military personnel on its head. The ACLU is pleased to have partnered with the American Military Partner Association on a national petition urging the Department of Defense to ensure that same-sex military couples could not be denied equal access to the federal benefits to which they were entitled.

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Posted in: Chuck Hagel,marriage equality,National Guard,Pentagon

Georgia Caves On National Guard

Via Chris Johnson at the Washington Blade:

Maj. Jon Craig, a National Guard Bureau spokesperson, said Georgia had agreed to process applications to grant same-sex spouses military IDs last week in a decision along the lines of Texas and Louisiana. “With Georgia, what it came down to was the authorization to put some state employees on temporary federal status,” Craig said. Georgia had been one of two remaining states that had refused to enroll the spouses of gay troops into the benefit system in the aftermath of an edict for Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel saying military spousal benefits should be available to troops in same-sex marriages nationwide. These states had cited state constitutional amendments barring same-sex marriage as the reasons why they couldn’t comply.

The final holdout is Mississippi.

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Posted in: Georgia,marriage equality,National Guard,Pentagon

LOUISIANA: National Guard Tweaks Rules To Allow Benefits Registration

Via the Associated Press:

National Guard spokesman Lt. Col. Mike Kazmierzak said Thursday that federal employees will handle benefit enrollment requests for same-sex couples at Guard sites around Louisiana, so service members don't have to travel to federal military installations for processing. Kazmierzak said the U.S. Property and Fiscal Officer in Louisiana, who handles federal property and federal financing for the state National Guard, will move some Guard employees to federal personnel status to deal with the benefit enrollments. It's an employment classification tweak that allows state officials to say their employees aren't violating a state prohibition of gay marriage, but that also puts Louisiana in line with a Pentagon directive issued in September permitting same-sex benefits for service members.

Equality Louisiana reacts via press release:

This is a great day for married National Guard members in our state, and another small step down the road to equality for all married couples. While the Louisiana National Guard had initially required that LGB service members apply for spousal benefits only at federal installations such as Ft. Polk or Barksdale Air Force Base, the Secretary of Defense has indicated that such a policy illegally creates hardship and inequality for service members in same-sex marriages. Now, in response to the Pentagon’s directive and similar actions taken by other states, the Louisiana National Guard has removed the last remaining barriers to access. Federal funds and personnel will be used to process benefits applications for service members in same-sex marriages, satisfying Louisiana’s constitutional requirements while ensuring that all service members receive equal treatment in the application process.

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Posted in: Louisiana,National Guard,Pentagon

Democrats Slam Christie For Backing Anti-Gay Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin

UPDATE: Garden State Equality is furious.

“As a native Oklahoman, I find Governor Fallin’s anti-LGBT stand reprehensible. Ending service to all rather than offering service to a minority is not equality, it is discrimination of the highest order," said Troy Stevenson, executive director of Garden State Equality. "While Governor Christie has never been a proponent of the freedom to marry, he has always claimed to support equal protections for all. In a time when LGBT rights are quickly becoming a non-partisan issue, it is tragic that Governor Fallin has chosen time and time again to marginalize LGBT Oklahomans."

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Posted in: 2014 elections,Chris Christie,GOP,Mary Fallin,National Guard,Oklahoma