Same-Sex Marriage Now Legal for Gay Military Couples in All 50 States
Jun 26, 2015 | by Bryant Jordan



The Supreme Court on Friday issued a ruling declaring the states have no legal right "to refuse to recognize a lawful same-sex marriage performed in another state on the ground of its same-sex character."

The decision is a victory for advocates of marriage equality, including an Army Reservist whose New York marriage to another man has not been recognized in Tennessee, where they live, and other states with laws stipulating that marriage may only be between one man and one woman.

The case of Sgt. First Class Ijpe DeKoe and his husband, Thomas, was among the handful that the high court considered.

"Their lawful marriage is stripped from them whenever they reside in Tennessee, returning and disappearing as they travel across state lines," Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing for the majority, noted in the decision. "DeKoe, who served this Nation to preserve the freedom the Constitution protects, must endure a substantial burden" because of the states' laws.

Matt Thorn, interim executive director for OutServe-SLDN, an advocacy group for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender service members, said the Supreme Court's decision was a message to their community "that ... your relationship, your marriage and your family matters to our community as a country and must be respected and treated fairly under the law."

Thorn said the Veterans Affairs Department should immediately end its policy of not providing spousal benefits to couples residing in these states that have not recognized same-sex marriage.

"Our LGB veterans should not be denied these benefits because of the state they live in or because of their sexual orientation," Thorn said. "They should be given these benefits because it is the right thing to do. It is the American thing to do."

VA did not respond to Military.com's request for comment.

Defense Department spokesman Navy Lt. Cmdr. Nate Christensen said the ruling will not have any effect on the military when it comes to marriage recognition or benefits, since these have been in place since the court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act in 2013.

"The [DoD] has made the same benefits available to all military spouses, regardless of sexual orientation, as long as service member-sponsors provide a valid marriage certificate," Christen said.

The ruling also has no impact on the roles or responsibilities of military chaplains, he said."A military chaplain is not required to participate in or officiate at a private ceremony if doing so would be in variance with the tenets of his or her religion or personal beliefs," Christensen said.

http://www.military.com/daily-news/2...in-all-50.html

Anti-American Sentiment At Its Peak In Russia Amid Gay Marriage Victory
Posted By: Polina TikhonovaPosted date: July 01, 2015 09:58:32 AM



Ever since the ascension of Vladimir Putin to the Russian presidency for his third term in 2012, Russia has been breeding hatred towards the United Stated and the West as a whole. It is unknown whether this was an intentional goal of Putin’s policy from the very beginning or it ‘just happened’ – one thing after another, Snowden, mutual accusations, spying rhetoric, Crimea, eastern Ukraine, constant threats, nuclear weapons… Is there an end to it?

One thing is certain, the Kremlin’s course of breeding hatred in the Russian society toward the Americans is working. Just one week ago, a 45-year-old Russian beat a man to death using his fists during boozing. The incident took place in Yaroslavl, a city some 160 miles from Moscow. The reason for such an aggressive – if not wild – behavior was that the victim had said he often traveled abroad. The drunk Russian aggressor then told police that he believed he was “neutralizing an American spy.”

While this particular case might seem too extreme, the overall hatred toward the U.S. is at its worse in post-Soviet Russia. According to this year’s survey published by Russian Levada Center, more than 80 percent of Russians view the United States with hatred. The number has almost doubled in just a year.

Meanwhile, a Gallup poll this year found that 70 percent of Americans view Russia negatively, which is the highest post-Cold War figure.

Russia: U.S. people are afraid to openly express their opinion on gays



And after the United States Supreme Court ruled a decision to legalize same-sex marriage in all 50 U.S. states, it seems that the mutual hatred between the two countries has room for growth. A member of Russia’s Council of the Federation Committee on constitutional legislation and government development, Elena Afanasyeva, expressed the opinion so commonly expressed by the Russians toward gay marriages.

“I hope that this [legalizing same-sex marriage] will not happen in Russia in the next 25-30 years. In the United States and Europe, people that belong to the LGBT community pursue a very aggressive policy toward the others.If you openly say that you do not support their lifestyle, you may be asked to quit your job, or even fire you themselves, while you are constantly being judged for your point of view,” Afanasyeva told Russian media.

“That is the reason why so many people have been afraid to openly express their opinion. I would not like to see this kind of aggression from these people and the moral pressure appearing in Russia,” she added.

World War 3 becomes possible



And while the mutual hatred between the two countries keeps on intensifying, there are concerns that it may lead or even ‘push’ to a large-scale conflict: military or Cold War-like.

However, the ongoing confrontation between Russia and NATO states reminds rather the pre-World War I period than the times of the Cold War of the middle of the previous century, according to the Vox’s publication ‘How World War III became possible’ issued by Max Fisher.

The article claims that the threat of a nuclear conflict with Russia has turned into something that is not impossible anymore.

“Fearing the worst of one another, the US and Russia have pledged to go to war, if necessary, to defend their interests in the Eastern European borderlands,” the article says.

Max Fisher also notes the volatile balance of powers and the increasing tensions on the European continent. According to the author, the most probable ‘spot’ of the upcoming nuclear conflict would become the Baltic states.

As a prove of the possible beginning of a new World War in the region, the author reminds that the President of the U.S. Barack Obama visited Estonia before the NATO summit, where he affirmed the readiness of the U.S. to protect its Alliance partners against any invasions by foreign countries.

“Estonia, along with Latvia and Lithuania — together known as the Baltic states — are at the far edge of Eastern Europe, along Russia’s border,” the article says, adding that the Western analysts express their concerns over the possibility of a new wave of aggression from Russia particularly toward the Baltics.

Russia is looking for legal grounds to invade the Baltics



As noted by Stephen Saideman, a professor at Carleton University in Ottawa and a leading expert on Canadian defense and foreign policy, small countries are the most probable ‘frontline’ of any upcoming military conflict.

The author of the article also points out that the fourth part of Estonia’s population are ethnic Russians. The authors of the article also remind about the Ukrainian conflict and assume that the Crimean scenario may happen in the Baltics, where a Russian intervention may also begin with the appearance of ‘little green men’ and the Kremlin’s rhetoric about protecting the rights of the Russian-speaking part of the population.

The article also argues that the Russian-majority Estonian city of Narva, which is located a few hundred yards from Russia’s borders, may become the ‘starting point’ of the conflict.

This kind of scenario would offer NATO a difficult choice whether to open fire on Russian military men and risk unleashing the World War 3 or to officially agree on a long-term ‘frozen’ conflict.

As it was reported just yesterday, Russia is going to review the legality of the Soviet Union decision to recognize the Baltic states of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia as independent nearly 25 years ago. Seems like Russia is looking for ‘legal’ grounds to launch its invasion into the Baltics, doesn’t it?

However, if Russia and NATO will be brave enough to start a military confrontation, the planet will face a ‘nuclear winter’.

http://www.valuewalk.com/2015/07/ant...timent-russia/

The surprising Russian reaction to gay marriage in the U.S.
By Karoun Demirjian July 1



MOSCOW—At first, the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling striking down all prohibitions against same-sex marriage last week inspired the predictable backlash of religiously infused recriminations that the world has come to expect from gay-propaganda-fearing Russia.

But the decision has also inspired some unlikely advocates to come forward and urge Russia toward a more tolerant stance – including one of the most influential conservatives in the very socially conservative country.

Dmitry Kiselyov, the irascible television host best known for warning that “Russia could turn the USA into radioactive ashes” while standing in front of images of a mushroom cloud, used his weekly program to call for legalizing civil unions in Russiain the wake of the Supreme Court ruling

“The LGBT community is a fact. And we can figure out how to make life easier for adults who want to take upon themselves – including on paper – the obligation to care for one another,” he said. “In the end, love works wonders. Who is against it?”

#LoveWins, Russian style?

It’s especially notable coming from Kiselyov, who as recently as 2012 said that gays should be prevented from donating blood and sperm, and prohibited from donating their organs to other human beings after deadly accidents. He defended the comments a year later.

Kiselyov isn’t the only Russian of rank calling for a more progressive view on gays.

Konstantin Dobrynin, a member of the Russian Federation Council and deputy head of its committee on constitutional law, wrote on the Web site of Russian news radio Ekho Mosky that “for Russia, it is important not to turn away from the realities of the time, and lapse into the same old battle against homosexuals, but to try to find a legal way to ensure public balance between the conservative part of society and the rest.”

It’s not as much of a turnaround for Dobrynin, who was reported to have said in 2013 that Russia had “to stop this parliamentary obsession with anti-gay lawmaking,” at a time when parliamentarians were considering a law to deny parental rights to homosexuals.

Since 2013, Russia has had a law on the books banning the spread of gay “propaganda” as a means of “protecting children from information advocating for a denial of traditional family values.” In the two years since, there has been little progress made toward creating a more inclusive, safe space for gays in Russia, and human rights organizations have repeatedly called out Russian authorities for not doing enough to prevent homosexuals from discrimination and violence.

Dobrynin and Kiselyov’s recommendations may also seem backward to an audience in the United States, where Don’t Ask Don’t Tell was repealed years ago and where the nationwide legalization of gay marriage has effectively obviated any middle ground discussions about civil unions. (Kiselyov would not go so far as to advocate for gay “marriage,” and in fact stressed that homosexual unions should not be called marriages in Russia. “A civil union – that’s a different story, a different level,” he said.)

Still, in Russia, this is significant progress.

Yet it may take a while for it to catch on, in this country where religious institutions like the Russian Orthodox Church still act as moral barometer for much of the nation.

“Godless and sinful,” is how the Russian Orthodox Church spokesman Vsevolod Chaplin described the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to Russian news service Interfax.

[url]http://www.washingtonpost.comS E N S O Rworldviews/wp/2015/07/01/the-surprising-russian-reaction-to-gay-marriage-in-the-u-s/[/url]