It’s been coming since the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, and now it’s here. The Servicemembers Legal Defense Fund has filed a federal lawsuit suing U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, and Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki, on behalf of current and former service members seeking equal recognition, benefits and family support for equal sacrifice and service in the U.S. Armed Forces.
The lawsuit goes after DOMA, the Defense of Marriage Act, as well as other titles in the military code which do not provide equal rights to the legal spouse and family of service members.
“This case is about one thing, plain and simple. It’s about justice for gay and lesbian service members and their families in our armed forces rendering the same military service, making the same sacrifices, and taking the same risks to keep our nation secure at home and abroad,” said Army Veteran and SLDN Executive Director Aubrey Sarvis. “These couples are in long term, committed, and legally recognized marriages, and the military should not be forced to turn its back on them because the federal government refuses to recognize their families.”
Given that the military has reversed DADT and has even approved military personnel officiating at same sex marriages in states where it is legal, the inevitable lawsuits against the discriminatory federal law known as DOMA were easy to see coming. Congress itself is currently debating the reversal of DOMA.
