Pentagon Will Grant Marriage Benefits to Same-Sex Couples

photo courtesy of the Washington Post

Last week the Pentagon announced that in September, they will be granting full federal rights to same-sex spouses of military personnel.

The Pentagon plans to extend to legally married same-sex couples the same privileges and programs that are provided to legally married heterosexual couples, including benefits tied to health care and housing, the official said.

This is a big deal… because of DOMA, same-sex spouses were excluded from many military benefits.  With the Supreme Court decision striking down section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act, there are still many questions on what rights couples receive since marriage is only legal in a handful of states.  This will hopefully set a precedent that will help the feds make other decisions favoring federal equality even for couples living in states that don’t recognize their marriages (like mine!)