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“The event in San Diego was deemed a patriotic celebration and a tribute to service members. In a late July press briefing, a Pentagon spokesman wasn’t willing to say whether all gay, lesbian and transgender events will be treated as nonpolitical. Last summer, before the “don’t ask don’t tell” repeal was final, the San Diego pride event made headlines for including the first contingent of active-duty troops, who weren’t in uniform. San Diego has become ground zero for the latest debate because of its large military presence - roughly 115,000 active-duty troops, evenly split between the Navy and Marines - and the high profile of the city’s annual gay pride weekend. In February, the Obama administration announced it would stop defending the law in cases brought by gay service members. Gay troops and advocacy organizations have filed lawsuits challenging the 1996 act. The Defense of Marriage Act prohibits the legally married partners of troops from sharing their benefits, such as medical care and base housing. Despite initial opposition from Marine Corps, Army and Air Force leaders, there have been no major incidents among troops.īut the status of gay military spouses is still a political hot potato. This tempest comes as the Pentagon and the Obama administration in September presided over an end to “don’t ask don’t tell,” the nearly 18-year-old policy barring open military service by gays. Randy Forbes of Virginia said, “This is yet another violation in what has become a pattern of this administration’s assault on the long-standing history of the Department of Defense as a nonpolitical organization.” A 2005 Pentagon directive says no active-duty or retired service members may wear the uniform “during or in connection with furthering political activities.”Ĭalling the decision “outrageous and blatantly political,” Rep. Two Republican congressmen have called out Defense Secretary Leon Panetta to explain why he made what they are calling an exception to military policy. On a practical level, gay advocates say the July 21 parade should ease the way toward allowing active-duty military to appear in future events. After stepping in to referee the issue here with a July 19 memo - citing national media attention - defense officials appear to be returning approval power to local military unit commanders. The Pentagon denies that its one-time San Diego decision amounts to a blanket approval of uniformed service members participating.
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