Pentagon balked on gay partner travel

[tpsbmam]

Source: Politico

Prior to the Easter recess, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was forced to intervene with Defense Secretary Robert Gates in order to get Democratic Rep. Tammy Baldwin’s domestic partner on a military flight for a congressional fact-finding trip to Europe.

The speaker succeeded, but the issue continues to simmer for both sides. The Pentagon appears to be self-conscious about transporting gay domestic partners at a time when it continues to enforce a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy in its own ranks. The speaker is sensitive to the gay rights issue but doesn’t want to be drawn into a situation where it appears she is dictating policy for the use of military planes.

Under House guidelines, members of Congress may take their spouses with them on military flights if there is room for them and when it is “necessary for protocol purposes.” Although Baldwin, the only openly gay woman elected to Congress, exchanged wedding vows with Lauren Azar in 1998, her home state of Wisconsin does not officially recognize same-sex marriages, and military officials were apparently unwilling to consider Azar a “spouse” within the meaning of the House guidelines.

..........

“But that’s really as far as it goes,” Morrell continued. “This should not be viewed as a precedent which would now permit all nonspouse travel. That said, Secretary Gates will, on a case-by-case basis, entertain the speaker’s future requests to make exceptions.”

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0308/9296.html

[TomInTib]

1. This "spousal travel" thing is bullshit.

Fucking Congress took it away from us, and kept it for themselves.

Try to write off your spouse's travel on your next "fact finding" trip and see just how funny the IRS thinks it is.

"Fact finding", my ass. Can't these people read?

Hell no, gotta go there. Watch those Frenchmen smoke their cigarettes up-close and personal.

"Fact finding" over some fine wine, fois gras, veal and a little stroll along the Seine.

[Sam Ervin jret]

2. Whether to bring the spouse and pay for them or not is not the issue here. The issue is equal

rights under the law, homophobia in the military and in this administration and the continuation of double standards in a democracy.

[noamnety]

3. There are too many double standards to count here.

Unless Pelosi has intervened on behalf of normal Americans who are in gay marriages, now we have one set of rules for the important people, and another for the rest of us (and within that, one set of rules for straight marriages, and another for gay marriages).

I'd be more impressed if she were fighting that hard for gay rights among the general population, rather than privileges (free travel for spouses on business trips as a congressional perk) that are inappropriate no matter what the orientation of the couples is.

This is on a military flight, and you can't even be openly gay and on that flight as a member of the military. I'd rather see her fight that stupidity.

[TomInTib]

4. I don't care about the homophobia part.

I just think that Congresspeople should pay full pop for spousal travel.

I don't care if they're married to their dog or their own mother.

This taxpayer-funded vacations business just sucks.