Before air conditioning, Southern towns prided themselves on large public swimming pools. A place to cool off in the hot Southern sun and to socialize with neighbors — whites only, of course. In the wave of desegregation and court orders to integrate such public facilities, many municipalities simply filled in their pools rather than let blacks and whites bathe together. It happened in town after town.
The oblong stretches of grass with peculiar concrete frames now sit as testaments to petty prejudice in places from Mississippi to Florida.
Fast-forward to today and our current struggle in the realm of civil rights.
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Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, in response to the June 26 Supreme Court ruling striking down key provisions of the Defense of Marriage Act, ordered all state National Guard units to recognize same-sex spouses when it came to benefits. In response to that, Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin has pledged to not grant benefits to any couples, gay or straight, rather than comply with the Pentagon directive. Fallin noted:
“Oklahoma law is clear. The state of Oklahoma does not recognize same-sex marriages, nor does it confer marriage benefits to same-sex couples. The decision reached today allows the National Guard to obey Oklahoma law without violating federal rules or policies. It protects the integrity of our state constitution and sends a message to the federal government that they cannot simply ignore our laws or the will of the people.”
And she’s not alone. Texas Governor Rick Perry (surprise!) has pledged not to honor the benefits that guardsmen are entitled to, and which all agreed to upon enlisting. He’s followed by the usual suspects: Mississippi, Louisiana, South Carolina and Georgia.
Army General Frank Grass, the National Guard’s top officer, told Stars and Stripes that “we are adamant that same-sex benefits will be equally extended,” just as they are to heterosexual couples in the guard. Indeed, a solution for Oklahoma and other states balking at the change could be near. This includes establishing federal rather than state benefit processing centers to handle requests.
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But solution or no solution, let’s be clear: this move on behalf of red state governors like Fallin and Perry is beyond juvenile; it’s a mean-spirited attempt to harm same-sex families by denying them benefits to which they are entitled.
You may be thinking, “What’s a benefit for a National Guardsmen? Discount groceries?” National Guardsmen are no longer the weekend warriors you think. They were called upon much too frequently in our recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, and units were stretched beyond all endurance. What benefits are they being denied now?
These could include health, education, home loans, housing, burial assistance and post-service vocational training. Strange that these governors are looking upon the federal directive as more or less a suggestion. If anything, the battle of integration should stand as a reminder that federal law will eventually triumph over the wishes of a state.
Shame indeed on those states that ask of guardsmen so much and then deny them these things. Sadly, we can’t erect a monument to the stupidity of the likes of Fallin and Perry in towns across the states they govern. We would certainly need something larger than an old public pool.
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