Less than a month after the controversial DOMA ruling by the US Supreme Court, LGBT military communities predict a surge in the number of same-sex marriages officiated in military bases.
This was revealed by Outserve-SLDN director for legal and public policy David McKeon, who said that ?it makes sense to have ceremonies where you live and where your family is.? It?s because of the recent Supreme Court decision that made same-sex marriages more acceptable to the military, as stated by McKeon in a news release.
While the court ruling states that gay and lesbian married couples should receive benefits as stipulated under federal law, the legality of the marriage might not hold water for all states. Aside from District of Columbia, only 13 states have passed laws to legalize same-sex marriage, including Rhode Island, Minesotta and California.
Conservatives, on the other hand, feel that this scenario has some serious religious backlash. Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council aired his sentiments, saying that ?forcing others to abandon their moral religious beliefs and their conscious rights ? that?s what we are fighting against.? Perkins was talking about how chaplains are forced to follow the law and wed people of the same sex, even if it?s against the chaplain?s rights on the First Amendment.
To be clear about the issue, chaplains serving in the military may choose not to officiate a wedding if it violates their religious beliefs. Lt. Cmdr. Nate Christensen of the Pentagon added that while this holds true today, this freedom might be taken away from them in the future, as more people begin to accept same-sex marriages.
[ Photo credit: Till Krech via Flickr ]
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