Choice for Military Chaplains Not at Odds With Equality

[William769]

It’s not religious conservatives who face discrimination, it’s progressives who support same-sex marriage, argues the president of Interfaith Alliance, the Reverend Dr. C. Welton Gaddy.

Religious freedom and respect for individual rights are not in conflict with each other, despite what some conservatives would have us believe.

In September, following the formal demise of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” the Department of Defense issued guidance making clear that military chaplains could, consistent with their denomination or faith tradition, officiate at wedding ceremonies for loving and committed gay and lesbian service members on military bases in those states where such marriages are legally recognized.

The hue and cry from opponents of equality that followed — while ill-informed and misplaced — were all too predictable. Incredibly, Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon, R-Calif., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, threatened to oppose the annual defense authorization bill if it did not prohibit chaplains from performing such marriage ceremonies. To describe this congressman’s willingness to jeopardize the critical needs of all of our troops that are addressed in the defense authorization bill with his personal ultimatum as unfortunate is, to put it mildly, an understatement. Such a prohibition would not only discriminate against gay and lesbian service members, it also would impede the ability of some chaplains to follow the dictates of their faith. Such are the misguided priorities of some of our elected officials.

http://www.advocate.com/Politics/Commentary/Oped_Choice_for_Military_Chaplains_Not_at_Odds_with_Equality/