Navy would allow gay weddings on base

[Masochist]

Navy would allow gay weddings on base
By Sam Fellman - Staff writer
Posted : Monday May 9, 2011 14:29:54 EDT

Once the military’s ban on gays serving openly is lifted, Navy chaplains will be permitted to officiate at same-sex marriage and civil union ceremonies on base, according to an April 13 memorandum from the Navy’s head chaplain.

“Consistent with the tenets of his or her religious organization, a chaplain may officiate a same-sex, civil marriage: if it is conducted in accordance with a state that permits same-sex marriage or union; and if that chaplain is, according to the applicable state and local laws, otherwise fully certified to officiate that state’s marriages,” the memo signed by Chief of Chaplains Rear Adm. Mark Tidd states. The memorandum, designed to update chaplains’ training guidance for the repeal of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy banning openly gay members from serving, was posted by the conservative website Media Research Center.

In addition, the memo states that “if the base is located in a state where same-sex marriage is legal, then base facilities may normally be used to celebrate the marriage. This is true for purely religious services (e.g., a chaplain blessing a union) or a traditional wedding (e.g., a chaplain both blessing and conducting the ceremony).”

Navy spokeswoman Lt. Alana Garas said that the new policy guidance was a revision to the repeal training and emphasized that no chaplains will be required to officiate at same-sex messages, if that conflicts with their faith.

The federal Defense of Marriage Act defines marriage as between a man and a woman. Responding to questions about the law and the new policy in an email, Defense Department spokeswoman Eileen Lainez wrote: “DOMA does not limit the type of religious ceremonies a chaplain may perform in a chapel on a military installation. Chaplains are authorized to perform religious ceremonies consistent with the practices of the chaplain’s faith group in chapels on military installations.”

But conservatives contended this policy violates the Defense of Marriage Act.

“This new guidance from the Navy clearly violates the law,” Rep. Todd Akin, R-Mo., chairman of the House Armed Services seapower subcommittee, said in a statement Monday. “While our president may not like this law, it is unbelievable that our Navy would issue guidance that clearly violates this law. While a state may legalize same-sex marriage, federal property and federal employees, like Navy chaplains, should not be used to perform marriages that are not recognized by federal law.”

http://www.navytimes.com/news/2011/05/navy-dadt-memo-alllows-on-base-same-sex-weddings-050911w/

[wet dog]

When did marriages become monogamous? I thought the whole appeal about being in a gay or bi relationship was about multiple partners, open relationships, etc.

A sh*t storm will result from this...

[sunsetsurfer]

"In the Navy... you can sail the seven seas. In the Navy... you can get a rare disease. In the Navy... you can marry who you please":boohoo

[Masochist]

Or maybe not ...

Navy reverses itself on gay marriages on military bases
By Charley Keyes, CNN
May 11, 2011 5:35 a.m. EDT

Washington (CNN) -- The Navy did an abrupt about-face late Tuesday, suspending earlier guidance that could have allowed same-sex marriages on military bases once the Pentagon scraps its present Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy.

A memorandum from the Chief of Chaplains, Rear Admiral M.L. Tidd, suspended one he issued about a month ago.

"My memorandum of 13 April 2011 is hereby suspended until further notice pending additional legal and policy review and inter-Departmental coordination," Tidd wrote on Tuesday to all Navy chaplains and "religious program specialists."

The green light for gay marriage on military bases prompted a new round of Congressional opposition to ending Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

Before the policy is changed, it must receive a final sign-off from top Pentagon officials that all services have received proper training on the new rules and procedures. And that final approval could be just weeks away.

Some critics of the Navy's now stalled gay marriage plan have said it would violate federal law under the Defense of Marriage Act.

Navy plan to allow same-sex marriage on bases draws opposition (http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/05/09/navy.same.sex.marriage/index.html)

CNN confirmed the new memo with a Navy spokeswoman, who said the Navy will continue its overall training on how to comply with the repeal of the policy that now bans gays and lesbians from serving openly in the U.S. military.

"The training continues as planned," Lt. Alana Garas told CNN.

"Legal counsel determined that a more thorough review was required," he said on the issues of same-sex marriages, use of military facilities and the participation of Navy chaplains.

It remains unclear what same-sex policies the other services might be considering or adopt.

In his April memo, Rear Admiral Tidd said that in states that allowed same-sex marriage or civil unions, "base facilities may normally be used to celebrate the marriage."

Tidd had earlier said the chaplains' participation in a same-sex ceremony would depend on whether it was "consistent with the tenets of his or her religious organization."

http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/05/11/navy.same.sex.marriages/index.html