Following the uproar of The Association of Bragg Officers’ Spouses (ABOS) not allowing a lesbian wife of an Army officer stationed at Fort Bragg, the association has now offered that spouse, Ashley Broadway, a “guest membership” in the group.
BuzzFeed reports that the group’s president, Mary Ring, is offering guest membership to Broadway “while our bylaws are being reviewed.”
The American Military Partner Association (AMPA) — which supports LGBT servicemembers’ partners and of which Broadway is an officer — called the offer “offensive.”
In a statement provided to BuzzFeed, Stephen Peters, the executive director of AMPA said,
“Ashley is not a ‘guest’ military spouse. She is a military spouse, plain and simple. So the idea that the organization, in order to end the negative attention they are getting because of their outright discrimination, wants to give her a ‘guest membership’ is not only offensive, but ridiculous. The ABOS openly admits a military ID card is not listed as a requirement, yet they continue to deny her full membership.”
The Human Rights Campaign has called on Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta to immediately issue new regulations allowing spouses and partners of gay servicemembers access to military IDs. The Department of Defense has yet to respond to the letter.
