Tony Perkins led the fight against repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and runs an organization whose spokesman called on the government to “export” gay people, so it is only natural that now Perkins is fashioning himself as a foe of discrimination…against straight service members.
He is upset that the military — which recognizes same-sex marriages — is allowing gays and lesbians in the military who are stationed in states that ban same-sex marriage to travel to states with marriage equality laws to attain a marriage license:
The new policy, which will take effect by Sept. 3, allows gay and lesbian service members in the U.S. as many as seven days of extra leave to get married, as long as they are stationed more than 100 miles from a state where same-sex marriages are legal or from the District of Columbia, where the marriages are also performed.
Military personnel who are overseas will get as many as 10 days to travel back to the U.S. to get married.
Perkins has charged that the end of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell would increase the rates of suicide, sexual assault and fatalities, while also leading to the reinstatement of the draft.
Today on his radio commentary, Perkins said the military has lost “their senses” with its “discriminatory” policies:
For our troops, marriage is becoming the biggest battlefield. Hello, I’m Tony Perkins with the Family Research Council in Washington. Thanks to the Pentagon, taxpayers are giving gay service members quite a wedding gift. According to the Defense Department, homosexual troops are getting some extra incentives to get hitched–including 10 days of bonus leave. The AP says gay and lesbian military members will get as many as two weeks of extra vacation time to travel to states that allow same-sex marriage. Meanwhile, the Defense Department says it “remains committed to ensuring that all men and women who service in the U.S. military… are treated fairly.” If that were true, heterosexual couples would be getting the same benefits. See, this special, taxpayer-funded leave isn’t just expensive–it’s discriminatory. According to the Pentagon, heterosexual couples aren’t eligible. How’s that for equality? The administration says this perk “level[s] the playing field between opposite-sex and same-sex couples.” But when it comes to extra vacation days, the only thing the military is taking leave of is their senses!
