Retired Navy Captain For Gay Marriage

Captain Joan Darrah a retired Navy Captain who narrowly missed the September 11, 2001 attack on the Pentagon has written a letter to Governor Bob McDonnell (R-VA), chair of the national Republican Party platform committee asking to address the committee in support of the freedom to marry & the recognition of all marriages when it meets in Tampa, Florida next week. Darrah & her wife Lynne Kennedy are plaintiffs in McLaughlin v. Panetta, a case in which SLDN (Servicemembers Legal Defense Network) represents 8 married gay & lesbian service member & veteran couples seeking the same recognition, supports & benefits as their straight, married colleagues. Even now with DADT off the books, DOMA & other federal laws prevent the military from treating all service members, veterans & their families the same. This includes denial of health care, death benefits & burial in national cemeteries. Captain Joan Darrah stated, “If given the opportunity, we will testify in support of the inclusion in the Republican platform of both the repeal of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) & the right of same-gender couples to marry & for those marriages to be recognized by our federal government. Quite simply, these objectives correspond with the ideals of the Republican Party - opposition to government intrusion in people’s lives & a modern military that supports all service members & their families.” In July, Chief Warrant Officer (CW2) Charlie Morgan & her wife, Karen, testified before the national Democratic leaders drafting the party's 2012 platform. The freedom to marry is expected to be included in a final version of the Democratic platform.
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