Congress Dumps Military Gay Marriage Ban; Keeps Sodomy Policy

[w8liftinglady]

http://www.ontopmag.com/article.aspx?id=10342&MediaType=1&Category=25

A Congressional conference committee to reconcile differences between House and Senate defense bills has dropped two anti-gay measures but kept the military's sodomy provision.

Leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services Committee announced late Monday that they had reached agreement on the details of the $662 billion defense bill.

Gay rights advocates hailed the conference for removing two House amendments related to marriage.

In a memo issued by Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Clifford Stanley, chaplains may officiate the marriage and civil union ceremonies of gay couples, including on a military installation.

The amendments, sponsored by Republican Representatives Vicky Hartzer and Todd Akin of Missouri, stated that the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the 1996 law which bars federal agencies and the military from recognizing the legal marriages of gay couples, prohibits the use of military facilities and the participation of military personnel in such ceremonies.

“Anti-gay attacks and infusion of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act have no place in legislation designed to support all the brave men and women who fight to defend this nation,” said Evan Wolfson, president of Freedom to Marry. “Gay and lesbian servicemembers risk their lives every day and Freedom to Marry is pleased that the conference committee agreed with us and voted to remove these discriminatory anti-gay provisions from the bill.”

[hack89]

1. The anti-sodomy articles of the UCMJ are so broad as to be useless

they don't distinguishes between heterosexual and homosexual acts - any service man who has ever gotten a blow job has violated them.

They are very rarely used because no one wants to open that particular can of worms.

[stevenleser]

2. I mostly agree. I think they come up only in rape cases

If the rapist forced the victim to perform anything other than vaginal sex, the charge of violating the UCMJ's sodomy law is invoked.

Still, its really a problem this language/law still exists in the UCMJ.