Jeanne Shaheen, New Hampshire Senator, Presses Military On Same-Sex Rights

A New Hampshire senator is joining the fight to amend federal legislation which initially barred a returning National Guard member from bringing her same-sex partner of 11 years to a family event.

Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) has written to U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta on behalf of Charlie Morgan, who recently returned from deployment in Kuwait. Morgan, 47, was originally forbidden from bringing her spouse Karen to a yellow ribbon reintegration program due to the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which prohibits the military from extending benefits to same-sex couples.

Though the Morgans, who are also the parents of a 4-year-old daughter, will now be allowed to attend the weekend event together, Shaheen noted the situation was indicative of the legislative grey area that remains despite the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal last month. "Charlie showed a lot of courage in speaking out about her situation," she told The Huffington Post. "It shouldn't take this kind of an effort for her to be able to participate in an event like everyone else."

In her original letter to Panetta, Shaheen wrote:

The repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” which allowed men and women in the United States military to serve openly, regardless of sexual orientation, was an important development in our nation’s civil rights history, and I commend the Department of Defense (DOD) on its commitment toward successful implementation. Despite the progress achieved, I remain concerned over a variety of lingering inequalities facing same-sex military families.

In early August, Chief Warrant Officer Charlie Morgan of the New Hampshire National Guard (NHNG) contacted my office to assist her in determining, following the repeal of DADT, whether or not her civil union spouse would be permitted to attend a mandatory Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program (YRRP) event this coming weekend. As you know, YRRP is a DOD program designed to assist National Guard members and their families with the unique challenges of transition from active-duty military deployment to civilian life and work. Earlier this week I was informed by the NHNG that despite CWO Morgan’s requirement to attend, according to current DOD policy her spouse is unauthorized to accompany her.

Shaheen, who has actively spoken out against DOMA, added, "This is an issue that reflects conflicts that still remain with how we treat LGBT people in the military...it’s important for us to do everything we can to make sure that everyone is treated fairly

Morgan, who declared herself a lesbian on national television shortly after the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" on Sept. 20, says her family is "deeply affected" by their inability to attend the event together. “The hard part about it is that my unit wants to meet her, they want her to go,” Morgan told Seacoast Online. “I've had a lot of support from the Guard and nothing but respect from my leadership.”

Comments

[lambdin1]

01:39 PM on 10/22/2011

It is apparent that the military is not really ready for the change! You've still got people in the military that can not follow orders. They were there when blacks were integrated and now this. It will take sometime before the brass gets it and begins to follow orders. Having been in the military, I've seen how some believe in their own power to make decisions even when they were told otherwise by their superiors!

[Dan Dolan]

05:35 PM on 10/20/2011

Thank you Senator! We need more allies like yourself.

[rockysparks]

12:08 AM on 10/20/2011

Give the gay and lesbian veterans and their spouses the same benefits as their straight counterparts! It's a no-brainer at this point!

[xansam]

06:46 PM on 10/19/2011

Very Proud of you Senator.

[Ioan Lightoller]

06:38 PM on 10/19/2011

Glad to see that Sen. Shaheen has written to Sec. Panetta. If heterosexual spouses are allowed then so should same-sex spouses. Just one more reason that DOMA needs to be scuttled.

[Mark Van Kekerix]

06:23 PM on 10/19/2011

I'm with philosophicgirl on this one - the stupidity of not allowing CWO Morgan's spouse to accompany her is stunning.

The YRRP program is one of many programs the military branches use to help transition members from deployment and/or active duty back to a "normal" life. Many of these programs exist because of issues that were happening when the deployed person comes back - the abruptness of the change and the sometimes difficult emotional challenges of deployment can cause friction within families of returning soldiers, sometimes leading to violence.

It is abominable that heterosexual spouses and families can be a part of these programs, but same-sex spouses (and the children of those spouses) cannot. It's saying that same-sex families matter less.

I, too, am speechless over this one...

[philosophicgirl]

05:11 PM on 10/19/2011

".....YRRP is a DOD program designed to assist National Guard members and their families with the unique challenges of transition from active-duty military deployment to civilian life and work. Earlier this week I was informed by the NHNG that despite CWO Morgan’s requirement to attend, according to current DOD policy her spouse is unauthorized to accompany her."

I do not understand how a society can continually contradict itself and simply refuse to acknowledge the complete and total hypocrisy of it all.

You and you family are REQUIRED to attend a MANDATORY 'Reintegration Program'..........
BUT..........
You are FORBIDDEN to bring your family..............

I am speechless.........

[neighborhoodmole]

05:01 PM on 10/19/2011

If attendance is mandatory, then it must be while on duty, so only the service members should be allowed to attend. Any event that invites family members should be off duty and therefore optional. Perhaps supporters for equality should come down with a "blue flu" at the last minute as a way to boycott this discriminatory event.