A Big Win for Homosexual Soldiers and Muslims

(Washington DC) On September 21, 2011, the Obama Administration began their first series of military cuts through incentivizing military members to leave early without their retirement though repealing the Don't Ask Don't Tell (DADT) program for homosexuals serving in the military. 

That effort was expanded in 2012 with an effort to remove Christian symbols from USGOV property and forcing chaplains to perform same sex wedding ceremonies. The reduction in force of Christian chaplains allowed for the quota of Muslim chaplains to be expanded to fill the slots vacated by departing chaplains.

Now it seems that gay military personnel may be receiving some benefits that heterosexual personnel will not receive. According to unnamed officials, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta plans to extend benefits to the homosexual partners of military personnel before leaving his position in the very near future. The benefits would include access to military bases, the commissary, health and welfare benefits. To receive the benefits, the military partner would have to sign a document stating that the person is their partner or partners in the case of polyamorous relationships. 

Polyamory (one homosexual service member with more than one partner) has been the latest entry from the closet. The implications are clear. Where one gay military service member has sex with many members of the community, all of those 'partners' now obtain access to military bases. The same benefits will not be extended to the unmarried partners of heterosexual military personnel, only homosexual partners, and some believe this is discriminatory. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta disagrees.

Up to this point, heterosexual service members were not allowed to get on base with identification until they were legally married. Pentagon officials found no reason to change that policy because, according to one un-named spokesman, "It's worked in the past."