Navy to allow same-sex weddings

According to the Navy Times, the new policy of allowing openly gay and lesbian to serve in the military has caused the Navy Chaplain Corp to issue a memo allowing for Naval Chaplains to perform same-sex marriages on navy bases. Naval facilities may be used for the reception.

"‘Consistent with the tenets of his or her religious organization, a chaplain may officiate a same-sex, civil marriage: if it is conducted in accordance with a state that permits same-sex marriage or union; and if that chaplain is, according to the applicable state and local laws, otherwise fully certified to officiate that state’s marriages,’ the memo signed by Chief of Chaplains Rear Adm. Mark Tidd states. The memorandum, designed to update chaplains’ training guidance for the repeal of the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy banning openly gay members from serving, was posted by the conservative website Media Research Center.

In addition, the memo states that ‘if the base is located in a state where same-sex marriage is legal, then base facilities may normally be used to celebrate the marriage. This is true for purely religious services (e.g., a chaplain blessing a union) or a traditional wedding (e.g., a chaplain both blessing and conducting the ceremony).’

Navy spokeswoman Lt. Alana Garas said that the new policy guidance was a revision to the repeal training and emphasized that no chaplains will be required to officiate at same-sex messages, if that conflicts with their faith."

Read the full article here.

According to the article and at least one tweet, there's already of move in Congress to block this.

More coverage here and here.

Posted by Nicholas Knisely on May 10, 2011 11:53 AM | |
Comments (4)

I wasn't able to pull up the memo itself. I do find myself wondering about something related. The Navy provides the chaplains that serve the Marines and the Coast Guard. One wonders how this affects those bases.

Marshall Scott

Posted by Execute [TypeKey Profile Page] | May 10, 2011 12:24 PM

Please don't call them "gay weddings". I didn't have a "gay wedding," I had a wedding. And I'm not gay married either, just simply, joyfully married. As Susan Russell often points out, we don't do gay laundry, drive a gay car, or pay gay taxes.

You may if you insist call them "same sex weddings" but better would be "weddings of gay couples".

Thanks!

Susan Forsburg

[Point taken, change made - ed.]

Posted by IT [TypeKey Profile Page] | May 10, 2011 12:52 PM

Wot Susan F said.

JC Fisher

Posted by tgflux [TypeKey Profile Page] | May 10, 2011 1:16 PM

Or not (I've heard the Pentagon has overruled the Navy. Argh.)

JC Fisher

Posted by tgflux [TypeKey Profile Page] | May 11, 2011 12:33 AM

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