Tag Archives: 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 …

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 …

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, …

Via press release from Lambda Legal: After increasing pressure to follow U.S. Department of Defense guidelines, the Texas Military Forces today allowed Lambda Legal’s client, Alicia Butler the wife of 1st Lt. Judith Chedville to register for federal military benefits at Camp Mabry. “We are thrilled for Alicia and Judith who just wanted to take steps, like all military families, …

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GOP Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin today announced that ALL married couples, including straight ones, will be denied marriage benefits at the state’s National Guard bases. Last month Fallin threatened to sue the federal government rather than comply with the edict handed down by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. In announcing the decision, Fallin said “Oklahoma law is clear. The state of …

From the Louisville Courier-Journal: Despite Kentucky’s ban on gay marriages, Gov. Steve Beshear has decided to allow spouses of gay National Guard members to apply for federal marriage benefits. Kentucky Adjutant General Edward Tonini recommended the state follow Defense Department policy and a U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling, and Beshear affirmed it, said Kerri Richardson, the governor’s spokeswoman. “They’re service members …

The New York Times reports: While a majority of states ban same-sex marriages, most are not fighting the new policy. But Pentagon officials say that in addition to Texas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and West Virginia have balked. Each has cited a conflict with state laws that do not recognize same-sex marriages. (A West Virginia official said, however, that the …

Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryan says that he will defy Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, who has ordered state National Guard units to grant benefits to the spouses of gay military members.  Bryant’s stand sets up a showdown with the Pentagon at a time Mississippi is trying to hang on to its military installations and is seeking to show it is a …

On Thursday, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced that he was ordering all National Guard units to comply with Pentagon policy regarding spousal benefits for gay soldiers. Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin may go to court to stop him. Alex Weintz, spokesman for Gov. Mary Fallin, said she “is working with Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to evaluate the legal options available …

As I’ve reported several times, National Guard units in several states have refused to grant spousal benefits to legally married gay couples, claiming that state laws supersede federal military policies. That’s going to stop. From a speech given last night by Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel: Today, I directed the Chief of the National Guard Bureau, General Frank Grass, to …

“As we’ve already seen in places like Louisiana, Texas, and Mississippi, not every state is willing to roll over and ignore its own marriage policy. The National Guard offices there have already started bucking the Pentagon and refusing to process requests from same-sex couples for benefits like ID cards and other privileges. Major General John Nichols, the commanding general of …

Via press release from John Perez, openly gay Speaker of the California Assembly: In a series of firsts, a delegation from the California National Guard, led by its Adjutant General, Maj. Gen. David S. Baldwin, took part in L.A. Pride, joining Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez (D-Los Angeles), the first openly gay person elected Speaker, in yesterday’s Pride Parade. This …