MILITARY MONDAY

Spain's first gay military wedding

Two male air force privates will wed this summer, taking Spain's new gay marriage law to the ranks of the military for what is believed to be the first time.

Their union may not be well-received in the military but they don't care, said one of the two Seville-based men, both of whom are named Alberto. Their last names were not released.

"We know we are in the armed forces and this is touchy because we are not gardeners but rather soldiers. I know there are superior officers who will make life difficult for me, and they are already doing so," said one of the Albertos, according to the Cadena Ser radio station.

The wedding is scheduled for September in Seville.

The Defense Ministry said it was aware of the wedding plans through news reports but had no comment other than to say it was a personal matter and the men have every right to marry under the gay marriage law that went into effect in Spain on Jan 1.

The men received permission to wear their military uniforms during the wedding but in the end decided against it to avoid antagonizing the military, said Beatriz Gimeno, president of Spain's main federation of gays, lesbians and transsexuals.

So far 4,500 same-sex couples have wed under the legislation, according to the Justice Ministry.



White House issues first comments re "don't ask, don't tell"



In a press conference Thursday, White House press secretary Tony Snow issued the first comments the Bush administration has made about the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy regarding gay and lesbian service members.

Snow is quoted by U.S. Newswire as saying that the policy is "well-established," adding, "I will defer all questions about military personnel policies to the Department of Defence." When the Department of Defense was questioned about the policy, it indicated that it would defer to Congress on the issue. However, Republican senator John McCain of Arizona recently seemed to indicate that he would support a change to the current policy only if the armed forces vocalized a need for change.

C. Dixon Osburn, executive director of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, an advocacy group for gay and lesbian service personnel, in a recent statement criticized this "Keystone cops approach to leadership," saying, "Our men and women in uniform deserve better."

According to the Urban Institute, as quoted by U.S. Newswire, there are 1 million lesbian and gay veterans in the United States, and since its adoption in 1993 the "don't ask, don't tell" policy has resulted in 11,000 gay and lesbian service personnel being dismissed from the armed services. (The Advocate)