WASHINGTON, DC — The American Military Partner Association ( AMPA ), the nation's premier resource and support network for LGBT military spouses and their families, released the following statement today in response to the order by the Secretary of Defense to rogue state national guards to comply with directives to process same-sex spouses for ID cards and benefits. The speech outlining this direction from Secretary Hagel in its entirety can be read here.
"Secretary Hagel has made it clear the national guard in these few rogue states are failing to live up to their obligations to military families under federal law," said Stephen Peters, president of AMPA. "We applaud him in showing strong leadership by ordering the national guard in these states to comply and follow lawful direction and DoD policy. No matter what state of our great nation they serve in, no military spouse should be treated differently just because of their orientation."
¨For more information about the American Military Partner Association and LGBT military families, please visit our home on the web at www.MilitaryPartners.org .
"The American Military Partner Association ( AMPA ), a non-partisan and non-profit 501( c )3 organization based in Washington DC, is the nation's premier resource and support network for LGBT military spouses and their families.
From an American Veterans for Equal Rights press release
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Thursday ordered all state National Guards to grant same-sex couples full benefits after Indiana, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, Oklahoma, South Carolina and West Virginia refused to do so.
In a speech at the Anti-Defamation League in New York Thursday, Hagel said that he was directing the state Guards to issue same-sex couples ID cards and the benefits that come with them. He asked National Guard Chief Gen. Frank Grass to meet with the Guard state leaders in the nine states in order to resolve the issue.
"Not only does this violate the states' obligations under federal law, their actions have created hardship and inequality by forcing couples to travel long distances to federal military bases to obtain the ID cards they're entitled to," Hagel said, according to prepared remarks of his speech.
A senior defense official said Hagel is prepared "to take further action" if the states do not comply with the Pentagon directive on benefits for same-sex spouses.
