Pentagon OK's Chaplains Performing Gay Weddings

One can almost hear the hyperventilating and sound of flying spittle that must be emanating from Elaine Donnelly, Maggie Gallagher, Tony Perkins and similar professional gay-haters. Why? Because now military chaplains on bases in states where same sex marriage is legal can perform weddings for sames sex couples. It's yet another blow against the special privileges too long afforded to far right Christian religious beliefs that have been allowed to trample on the religious freedom of other citizens. Be assured that there will be shrieks that such weddings are a threat to religious freedom, but in truth the Christianist (and Catholic Church) version of religious freedom is the freedom to inflict one's beliefs on all of society. The Washington Post reports on the new policy. Here are some highlights:

The Pentagon will permit military chaplains to perform same-sex marriage as long as such ceremonies are not prohibited in the states where they reside, it said Friday.

Defense Department guidance issued to military chaplains said they may participate in ceremonies on or off military bases in states that recognize gay unions. Chaplains are not required to officiate at same-sex weddings if doing so is counter to their religious or personal beliefs, the guidance said.

And regardless of the Pentagon guidance, military chaplains will still need to take cues from their religious order, said Gary Pollitt, spokesman for the Military Chaplains Association.

The decision validates a move made by the Navy in May that earned the ire of conservative critics and Pentagon observers, because Navy officials acted on their own instead of in tandem with other military services. The guidance also irked Republican lawmakers who were still attempting to block plans to end the ban on gays serving openly in the military, known as “don’t ask, don’t tell.”

For those who want to inflict their religious views on everyone, I'd suggest they convert to Islam and move to Iran. The mindset and level of intolerance of the Christian Taliban is really no different than their Islamic counterparts. A copy of the Pentagon memo is set out below (click the image for a larger view)