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Georgia National Guard to grant identity cards to same-sex spouses
Source: Reuters
Georgia National Guard to grant identity cards to same-sex spouses
BY DAVID BEASLEY
ATLANTA Tue Dec 10, 2013 11:06am EST
(Reuters) - Same-sex spouses of Georgia National Guard members will be able to receive military identity cards, leaving Mississippi as the only state yet to comply with a U.S. Defense Department directive to grant access to benefits for married couples.
The identity cards for gay and lesbian spouses in Georgia will be processed only at federally operated Guard facilities because its constitution prohibits same-sex marriage, the state Department of Defense said on Tuesday.
"This process will ensure compliance with the Georgia Constitution while also creating an avenue to federally recognized benefits," the department said in a statement.
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Obtaining a military identity card allows spouses to use military commissaries and to be included on health insurance plans offered by the Guard, Georgia Guard spokesman Thomas Lesnieski said.
[font size=1]-snip-[/font]
BY DAVID BEASLEY
ATLANTA Tue Dec 10, 2013 11:06am EST
(Reuters) - Same-sex spouses of Georgia National Guard members will be able to receive military identity cards, leaving Mississippi as the only state yet to comply with a U.S. Defense Department directive to grant access to benefits for married couples.
The identity cards for gay and lesbian spouses in Georgia will be processed only at federally operated Guard facilities because its constitution prohibits same-sex marriage, the state Department of Defense said on Tuesday.
"This process will ensure compliance with the Georgia Constitution while also creating an avenue to federally recognized benefits," the department said in a statement.
[font size=1]-snip-[/font]
Obtaining a military identity card allows spouses to use military commissaries and to be included on health insurance plans offered by the Guard, Georgia Guard spokesman Thomas Lesnieski said.
[font size=1]-snip-[/font]
Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/10/us-usa-military-gay-idUSBRE9B90RL20131210
