Politix

Prev Next
Featured Quizzes
Politix Daily Headlines
Featured Debates
Issues

See all 17 issues

People
White House

See all people

DO ASK, DO TELL

Lesbian Wife Barred From Army Spouses Club Wins 'Army Spouse of the Year'

The Fort Bragg club's now relented after hostile media coverage

Next>

by Mary Noble

Senior Editor t

Image: Freedom to Marry

An Army wife who was denied membership by the Association of Bragg Officers' Spouses (ABOS) was named Fort Bragg's 2013 "spouse of the year," NBC reports.

Since news of the award broke this morning, the club has bowed to negative publicity, and announced that it will allow gay spouses to become members.

The Fort Bragg spouses club rejected Ashley Broadway from membership in 2012, telling her that as a same-sex partner she did not qualify. That decision triggered national outrage and a directive from the US Marine Corps instructing their spouses clubs to accept gay members. The army was criticized at the time for failing to issue a similar directive.

Broadway is one of 154 winners at army bases around the country, which makes her eligible for the national "army spouse of the year" award.

She told NBC that she believes many voted for her as "a statement to the Obama Administration, to Secretary Panetta...and, really, to America" that as a same-sex wife, she should be recognized by army groups as a military spouse.

Via NBC News.
Like this article? B Vote Up
?

Should the army direct spouses' clubs to admit gay members?

View results

Comments (view in Forum)

  • PoliticalSpice
    !
    @Fishbone345 She's more of a man then those chickenhawk repubs. The ones that want to send kids off to war but managed to avoid going themselves.
  • Fishbone345
    !
    @PoliticalSpice I agree. This woman is a hero in my eyes. My comment wasn't really aimed at anyone in the story, I was just being a smart ass to DARSB's comment. :)
  • View all 31 replies >
  • Fishbone345
    !
    Its better than what they used to refer to your family as... Dependent Wife, Dependent Son, etc...
    I always thought that was a little much. Heh.
  • Rocker
    !
    @Fishbone345 - When the wife was in the hospital having knee replacement, the nurses or staff would come in and ask me, "are you the 'significant other'"??
    I usually said, "hell naw, I'm her husband, you can say it, it's not a bad word". Sorry, but I just can't get used to that 'other' business. When they get older, they'll probably be cranky too - just like me.
  • Fishbone345
    !
    @Rocker I think its more intended not to offend you if they assume. I work in healthcare and I can tell you for sure, its hard to know what to say to people. Our country is so pathetically PC now, that if you say the wrong thing someone might have a temper tantrum.
    I think being cranky and older is a right. We've earned it my friend. Its like the badge we get when we become a certain age. ;)
  • Rocker
    !
    @Fishbone345 - You're right of course. I could have been a brother, boyfriend, or such, although I associate 'others' as of the same sex. LOL I guess thinking about it more, I would have been less flattered if I had been asked if I was her 'father'. Bottom line is you are there when they need you to be.
  • o
    NTBFW
    !
    I've been part of that world. You may force them to take her, but they will do their best to destroy them. It's not fair but that's the truth.
  • View all 6 replies >
  • stevanpierce
    !
    In my opinion, their desire to be there outweighs any discrimination being presented with prior to being admitted. After admission of the couple and future families of same sexes, I would say it is ever more important that they go.
  • jessejaymes
    !
    Why would she? It's obvious it would be similar to herding a group of prisoners into a room and making them listen to a sermon. They don't want her and she shouldn't want them. I understand where you are going to come from about equality but you can't reasonably expect that this particular group and this particular woman in this particular situation are ever going to find harmony. And giving her "spouse of the year" award is going to make it worse. Because I seriously doubt that any party involved in this fisaco including the lesbian are the entire military's souse of the year. Frankly it's offensive to me that the Military would even designate a single spouse when you consider the incredible amount of sacrifice hundreds of thousands of spouses have made in our Military. To think in any year they could pick just one offends me.
  • u
    AnnieO
    !
    @jessejaymes I'm an awesome army wife. I don't need an award to tell me that. The fact that my husband has made it home from both deployments in one piece has been more than enough. And I'll be here waiting every time he leaves and comes home. Being a good wife isn't something that needs to be awarded. Isn't marriage itself the reward? With that being said, this woman was discriminated against and should stand up for what she believes in. The word "family" is something that can not be defined by the government or a club. I wouldn't want to be a part of a club that thinks it can decide what a family consists of.
  • jessejaymes
    !
    @AnnieO I understand what you're saying and I'm thrilled your husband is making it back. Hopefully this crap will be over soon. We lost a son in law early on in Afghanistan. But I do take offense that this one woman in this one situation is named "spouse of the year" when spouses have lost their mate, the fathers of their children in the past year and as much as I agree with you about the issue, frankly what she is doing is not any more important than those who lost someone in the service of our country. That's just how I feel.(And I'm one of those people that wouldn't want to belong to any club that would have me.)
  • View all 11 replies >
  • Jack-Black
    !
    If it is a private club they should be alowed to admit whoever they want. If it is funded by the federal goverment then I guess they should be made to be political correct. Not sure why someone would want to join a club that they were not accepted though.
  • jessejaymes
    !
    It is a private club but meetings and functions held on the military base and refusing to admit her violates federal military rules. They can take it off base and have any rules they want but apparently they want to have their cake and eat it too.
  • u
    ashgreen
    !
    @Jack-Black Who should suck it up? The military clubs or the partners of service men and women who watch their loved ones give their time and energy, and sometimes their lives in the service of this country?
  • rkinsawjoe
    !
    Pure political is right,as in an apparently overwhelming majority of votes,independent of one another,cast in her favor. It doesn't get more pure than a membership telling it's leadership what it wants. And leadership acting accordingly...priceless. This is a good thing.
  • Arumizy
    !
    @rkinsawjoe She told NBC that she believes many voted for her as "a statement to the Obama Administration, to Secretary Panetta...and, really, to America" that as a same-sex wife, she should be recognized by army groups as a military spouse.

    Pure political reason, nothing to do with merit or what she has done, nothing because she has earned it. Simply because she was told no. If she was the best wife, leading the neighborhood in support of deployed families, helping etc it would be deseved this is simply a sham and a shame since someone who deserved it could have been recognized.
  • rkinsawjoe
    !
    @Arumizy Actually she said she know's that's why many voted for her,she's being honest which to many is an admirable quality. But she did nothing to bring that about, it was an upswelling of support for her position. Should she have said "oh never mind an overwhelming majority of voting members rejecting the actions of the membership committee, i'll just go back to my closet"? As for merit, the same NBC report says that she had been a volunteer reading tutor for soldiers children,briefed incoming Army families on the local school district and helped transferring soldiers families with housing and whatnot. Perhaps many of those enlisted families valued her help and support over her sexual orientation and resented it being held against her. That's no sham or shame friend, by your own standards her actions were considered deserving of recognition...by those who benefited from them.
  • u
    whataGOVwehave
    !
    @stepped_in_it I don't believe.....so would that just make them confused? One of them wants a little of this AND a little of that?.....sounds like a spouse to me!!!
  • stepped_in_it
    !
    @whataGOVwehave "so would that just make them confused?" I tried really, really hard to read your statement......but, your statement just made ME confused!
  • View all 7 replies >
  • RoFroh
    !
    I voted yes but I don't think the army should force them to, they should just do it your orientation shouldn't dictate if spouses are recognized or lessen the fact that the homosexual members if our armed forces are serving honorably....any man or woman serving their country deserves the respect that they earned and spouses should be respected for their sacrifice
  • bradley10
    !
    Romans: 1:24-27
    24Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

    26For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
  • Denizen_Kate
    !
    Zzzzzzzzzz ... You're quoting an old book that not everyone agrees with. Are you sermonizing? Because we've.heard this before.
  • o
    AndrewEvans
    !
    Come on man, really? Respecting your own beliefs is a liberty unto yourself, protecting them on others to take away their liberties is another. People like you destroy the credibility of other Christians. Get with the times or get left behind.
  • View all 21 replies >
  • u
    BelinKS
    !
    The military now allows openly gay troops. The only fair way to do that is to include their unconventional families in all military related things. I'm glad that spouses group finally relented. The women will probably end up loving her. You never know until you give things a chance. That this gay female spouse wanted to be part of the military family. She put herself out there and fought for what was right now that the military's stance on gays has changed. This part comes along with it. I believe family housing should be a part now too. It should all be a package deal. BTW I am a Christian republican.
  • o
    WattheTyler
    !
    It's amazing that so many LGBT people continue to serve in a military and nation that treats them like second class citizens. Not that I support these illegal wars we are waging but if you are gonna fight for corporate interests than you should at least not be discriminated on the basis of your race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, etc.
  • bradley10
    !
    Nobody being discriminated. The woman is not a spouse. What we see is people attempting to redefine the term spouse. This woman choice of sexuality has nothing to do with being a spouse. People in America need to grow a back bone not backing down to a little public pressure.
  • o
    WattheTyler
    !
    @bradley10 You are no better than Nazis claims Jews are subhuman. Who are you to say that gay couples don't love each other?

    Do you know how bigoted and homophobic it is to say that women's "choice" of sexuality? Sexuality is not a choice.
  • o
    Republican5001
    !
    @txgurl001 At some point, they made a conscious decision to have sex with another woman. That is pretty clear concise choice by any stretch of the imagination. Being that we are human beings means we are at the tip top of the evolutionary ladder, i.e. congnative abilities to think, read and write. Also included is our ability to decipher information and disseminate whether or not it is good or bad. The conscious decision making called, choices.

    Google is telling me over 8.7 species on planet Earth. Less than a percent of those demostrate homosexual tendencies or acts. And you reasonably expect me to believe that my wife and I have it wrong? You should never inconvience the masses for the sake of few. And that is what we do everytime some wing bat comes off with the notion because they were told no, they have a claim at some civil liberty violation.

    ...their rights ended where my family's began.
  • u
    Libertyiskey
    !
    @Republican5001 So you consciously thought about having sex with a man and had to fight that thought off? Or you always liked women and never thought of having sex with a man?

    In an earlier post you told me we were only different than animals because we have laws, so what's the big deal if only a small percent do it were not supposed to be animals...

    No one said your wife and you have it wrong, no ones trying to make you gay or your kids gay or anyone gay.

    So everyone else's rights end when your rights begin, you the king of this country Republican5001?

    How does anyone being gay effect you?
  • View all 45 replies >
  • R Load more comments...