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Robinson, McLaughlin Detail DOMA Harm to Military Families at Supreme Court Rally
For immediate release:
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Contact: Zeke Stokes at
202-621-5406 or zeke@outserve-sldn.org
Robinson, McLaughlin Detail DOMA Harm to Military Families at Supreme Court Rally
“Nothing about DOMA defends America or its values,” says Robinson
(WASHINGTON, DC) Army Veteran and OutServe-SLDN Executive Director Allyson Robinson was joined on stage in front of the U.S. Supreme Court today by Army wife Casey McLaughlin, as the two detailed harms done to LGBT military families by the so-called Defense of Marriage Act. Speaking to a crowd gathered in support of the freedom to marry as the Court hears argument in two cases that could pave the way for equality, Robinson and McLaughlin called on the Court to remedy the discrimination that has created two classes of service members in the nation’s military.
“Despite the fact that they, along with their husbands, wives, partners, and children, are making the same sacrifices, enduring the same difficulties, taking the same risks as their straight counterparts, the United States of America is treating them like second class citizens. The fact is, nothing about DOMA ‘defends’ America or its values. All DOMA does is make us weaker,” said Robinson.
McLaughlin, who is a lead plaintiff in OutServe-SLDN’s landmark legal challenge on behalf of gay and lesbian military families, spoke about how the denial of recognition and support impact her family.
“I am a stay-at-home Mom raising our two-year old twins and this wouldn’t be unusual if we were straight—many couples operate on one income and have a family plan for health insurance. But despite being legally married in the state of Massachusetts, I am excluded from the family health care plan. In fact, despite being wife and mother, I am technically a legal stranger to my spouse because of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act,” she said. McLaughlin and her spouse, Army Major Shannon McLaughlin of the Massachusetts National Guard, are forced to pay for a separate - and very expensive - health care plan to cover Casey.
To watch a video about the McLaughlin family's struggle with DOMA, click here.
McLaughlin also told rally attendees that if something were to happen to her spouse, she would not receive the same survivor benefits as other military families, a fact borne out by the recent death of a co-plaintiff in the case, CW2 Charlie Morgan of the New Hampshire National Guard. She passed away in February following a battle with breast cancer, leaving her wife Karen without the same protections and recognition as all other military families.
“Like any other soldier, if Shannon gets called into a warzone, she has to go, often with little notice. And like any other military family, the kids and I get left behind to manage without her. Yet, unlike any other soldier, Shannon doesn’t get the comfort of knowing that if something happens to her, we’ll be taken care of—that the benefits that she has earned for nearly 15 years would go to her family,” said McLaughlin.
Robinson said it’s time for the Supreme Court to act, where the Congress has failed to do so.
“America knows better. America knows this is no way to treat the ones who defend our freedom, our Constitution. America knows there is no honor in treating their families this way, only shame. America knows it’s not enough just to say, ‘All men are created equal.’ America yearns to live up to that great promise, to put it into action. America knows better,” said Robinson.
About OutServe-SLDN: OutServe-SLDN is the association of actively serving LGBT military personnel with more than fifty chapters and 6000 members around the world It works to support a professional network of LGBT military personnel and create an environment of respect in the military with regard to sexual orientation and gender identity. It is a non-partisan, non-profit, legal services and policy organization dedicated to bringing about full LGBT equality to America's military and ending all forms of discrimination and harassment of military personnel on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. OS-SLDN provides free and direct legal assistance to service members and veterans affected by the repealed "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law and the prior regulatory ban on open service, as well as those currently serving who may experience harassment or discrimination. For more information, visit www.outserve-sldn.org.
