House Bill Would Extend Protections To Married Gay Service Members

Just days after the Pentagon held its first-ever Gay Pride event, a congressman has introduced a measure which would extend protections to the spouses of gay service members.

Washington state Rep. Adam Smith, the ranking member on the House Armed Services Committee, has introduced a bill which would extend the definition of “spouse” to include gay couples in areas of the U.S. Code relating to recognition, support and protections for married service members and veterans.

Smith said the Military Spouses Equal Treatment Act of 2012 was designed to “ensure equality for military and veteran benefits for all military spouses.”

“While the repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' was a tremendous step forward, there is more that can be done to ensure that the rights of all of our services members and their spouse, regardless of whether they are of the same-sex or opposite-sex as the service member, are protected,” said Smith. “What this bill does is simple: if veterans or service members have a spouse of the same-sex, then their spouse will be afforded the same benefits as their heterosexual counterparts. Spouses of service members should not be prevented from receiving the benefits they have earned simply because they are the same sex as their partner. This discriminatory practice must come to an end.”

Gay rights advocates cheered the move.

“With ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ off the books, most Americans think our troops are serving freely and fairly alongside each other, but this is not the case. Federal law still discriminates against married gay and lesbian service members, veterans, and their families by denying them crucial protections and creating two classes of service members in our armed forces. This legislation would bridge the gap in our military and treat gay and lesbian service members, who are rendering the same sacrifices and taking the same risks, with fairness, dignity, and respect,” Evan Wolfson, founder and president of Freedom to Marry, said in a statement.

“Ranking Member Smith has recognized with the introduction of this legislation today that 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' repeal – while a monumental achievement for gay and lesbian service members and all Americans – does not finish the job of ensuring full equality for these brave patriots and their families,” said Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN).