Gearing up for Veterans Day we have the story about Army Capt. Steve Hill & Joshua Snyder who were legally married in Washington, D.C. & are suing for military spousal benefits. Hill is the infamous solider who was booed during the GOP Debate on Sept 22nd. Since the repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” gay & lesbians can serve our country openly but are still denied the federal rights & protections for their legally married spouses. Hill & Snyder have joined 7 other legally married gay military couples who are suing the government to change this. The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) prevents our LGBT community serving in the military from receiving the same rights & benefits as heterosexual spouses including survivor social security compensations & 1,137 other federal marriage rights. The lawsuit filed in Boston by Servicemembers Legal Defense Network challenges the constitutionality of DOMA. David McKean, legal director of SLDN stated, “Now we have the faces of currently serving & retired people from the military. These are people who have signed up for service in a time of war & have taken great personal risk.” Joshua Snyder, a national sales & service supervisor for Key Bank, stated, “This is not for money or for back-paid benefits or anything like that. We just want to know that the next time he deploys, I’ll be called if something happens to him.”Update to Come...:)
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This case is about one thing, plain and simple. It’s about justice for gay and lesbian service members and their families in our armed forces rendering the same military service, making the same sacrifices, and taking the same risks to keep our nation secure at home and abroad. These couples are in long term, committed, and legally recognized marriages, and the military should not be forced to turn its back on them because the federal government refuses to recognize their families.
ReplyDeleteAubrey Sarvis, SLDN Executive Director & Army Veteran