A New Hampshire senator is joining the fight to amend federal legislation which initially barred a returning National Guard member from bringing her same-sex partner of 11 years to a family event.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) has written to U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta on behalf of Charlie Morgan, who recently returned from deployment in Kuwait. Morgan, 47, was originally forbidden from bringing her spouse Karen to a yellow ribbon reintegration program due to the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which prohibits the military from extending benefits to same-sex couples.
Though the Morgans, who are also the parents of a 4-year-old daughter, will now be allowed to attend the weekend event together, Shaheen noted the situation was indicative of the legislative grey area that remains despite the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal last month. "Charlie showed a lot of courage in speaking out about her situation," she told The Huffington Post. "It shouldn't take this kind of an effort for her to be able to participate in an event like everyone else."
In her original letter to Panetta, Shaheen wrote:
The repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” which allowed men and women in the United States military to serve openly, regardless of sexual orientation, was an important development in our nation’s civil rights history, and I commend the Department of Defense (DOD) on its commitment toward successful implementation. Despite the progress achieved, I remain concerned over a variety of lingering inequalities facing same-sex military families.
In early August, Chief Warrant Officer Charlie Morgan of the New Hampshire National Guard (NHNG) contacted my office to assist her in determining, following the repeal of DADT, whether or not her civil union spouse would be permitted to attend a mandatory Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program (YRRP) event this coming weekend. As you know, YRRP is a DOD program designed to assist National Guard members and their families with the unique challenges of transition from active-duty military deployment to civilian life and work. Earlier this week I was informed by the NHNG that despite CWO Morgan’s requirement to attend, according to current DOD policy her spouse is unauthorized to accompany her.
Shaheen, who has actively spoken out against DOMA, added, "This is an issue that reflects conflicts that still remain with how we treat LGBT people in the military...it’s important for us to do everything we can to make sure that everyone is treated fairly
Morgan, who declared herself a lesbian on national television shortly after the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" on Sept. 20, says her family is "deeply affected" by their inability to attend the event together. “The hard part about it is that my unit wants to meet her, they want her to go,” Morgan told Seacoast Online. “I've had a lot of support from the Guard and nothing but respect from my leadership.”