Thursday, June 28, 2012
For the 1st time ever, the Pentagon celebrates Gay pride
Posted by Mitch Perry on Thu, Jun 28, 2012 at 6:17 AM
Nine months after the the Pentagon formally ended its 17-year-old "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," that barred gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military, the Pentagon on Tuesday celebrated Gay Pride Month, the first time in history such an event has occurred at the Pentagon.
Things are changing rapidly with the military when it comes to LGBT rights.
The McClatchy News Service reports that last Saturday, a Navy chaplain at Joint Base McGuire-Dix in New Jersey performed what officials believed to be the first same-sex civil union ceremony at a U.S. military base. The ceremony joined an Air Force enlisted airman and his civilian partner.
Currently, same-sex couples still lack equal access to military housing, medical care and other benefits available to heterosexual couples.
According to the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, an estimated 66,000 gay and lesbian troops are on active duty. 14,000 members of the military were discharged from 1993-2011 while "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was the law of the land.
Perhaps not surprisingly, there has been criticism about the Pentagon's evolution when it comes to gay rights.
A national chaplain alliance group called the Christian Alliance for Religious Liberty says they "strongly condemn" the Pentagon's decision to observe gay pride.
Chaplain (Col.) Ron Crews, USAR retired says he's concerned about what's next for the military.
"I am concerned that DoD will pursue full 'marriage benefits' for same-sex couples regardless of federal law, another Presidential Executive Order bypassing Congress" he told the Christian Post.
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