Ala. Guard To Honor Pentagon Same-Sex Policy

A judge says two women who were legally married in Iowa can't divorce in Alabama, which doesn't recognize same-sex marriages.
Jewel Samad

The Alabama National Guard says it will follow a Pentagon policy and honor requests for military benefits for same-sex couples.

A Guard spokeswoman, Lt. Col. Shannon Hancock, said Wednesday it's too early to say whether any benefit requests already have been processed.

But she says military attorneys and other leaders plan to follow Pentagon policy, even though Texas is refusing and Mississippi is setting conditions.

Alabama has a state law and a constitutional amendment defining marriage as being between a man and a woman.

The Pentagon says same-sex spouses of troops will be eligible for the same health care, housing and other benefits as opposite-sex spouses.

Tuesday was the first day to seek benefits under the rule, and Hancock says it will take awhile to determine the impact in Alabama.

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