The Iowa National Guard has no plans to have its chaplains perform same-sex unions if the Pentagon decides to recognize openly gay military service later this year, the Guard's public affairs officer at Camp Dodge said Wednesday.
"Per federal law and Department of Defense policy, our chaplains are prohibited from performing same-sex unions or marriages as conducting these types of ceremonies in a duty status would violate the Defense of Marriage Act. At this point we have not received any guidance from the Department of Defense regarding a change in that regulation," said Col. Gregory Hapgood Jr.
The U.S. Navy late Tuesday reversed a decision that would have allowed chaplains to perform same-sex unions if the Pentagon decides to recognize openly gay military service.
The Navy said its lawyers wanted to review the legal decision that allowed its chaplains to receive training to perform civil unions on military bases in states where same-sex unions are legal. That could include Iowa, where the state Supreme Court in April 2009 issued a ruling that legalized same-sex marriage. The Navy doesn't have an active-duty base in Iowa but does operate some facilities in the state, including a Naval Reserve center in Des Moines.
Sixty-three Republican U.S. House members wrote to Navy Secretary Ray Mabus to object to the Navy's initial ruling, saying the service was violating the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act by appearing to recognize and support same-sex marriages. That law defines marriage as only between a man and a woman, and it also says states don't have to recognize gay marriages performed in other states where they are legal.
Rep. Steve King, a Kiron Republican, was the only member of Iowa's congressional delegation who signed the letter sent to Mabus. An aide to King didn't respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
In December, President Barack Obama signed a law setting conditions for repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" law, which bars openly gay people from military service. The current policy will stand until 60 days after the president, defense secretary and Joint Chiefs chairman certify that repeal requirements have been met.
Hapgood said Wednesday that all 9,400 members of the Iowa Guard, including 2,800 soldiers currently on combat duty in Afghanistan, are undergoing training on military service by openly gay people. Similar training is under way throughout the U.S. Armed Forces.
"This is a Department of Defense-wide program. They are trying to get everybody on line at exactly the same time," Hapgood said. "We will comply with any Department of Defense regulation created regarding this area. We are going to follow the law. That is the bottom line."
Troy Price, executive director of One Iowa, the state's largest gay rights organization, said he wanted to see changes in the Iowa Guard's policy on same-sex marriages. "It is disappointing that some of our service members are unable to have their marriages recognized by our armed forces," he said.
This story includes information from the Associated Press .
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