The Globe and Mail is reporting that two male Canadian soldiers have been married on base.
Guess Amurika has some more catching up to do.
I vote for health care first, though.
Full story to follow.
Canadian Forces sees first gay wedding
Tuesday, June 14, 2005 Updated at 4:04 PM EDT
Canadian Press
Halifax — The Canadian military is marking its first gay wedding.
Two men, who do not want to be identified, exchanged vows in a small ceremony at Canadian Forces Base Greenwood in western Nova Scotia.
It was the first time the military has presided over a same-sex union after introducing guidelines in 2003 dealing with the contentious issue.
The two men, one a sergeant, the other a warrant officer, were married last month by a United Church minister because the base chaplain is Anglican and couldn’t officiate.
But, Lt-Cmdr. David Greenwood helped arrange the service and preached at it.
He says it might encourage other gays and lesbians in the military to come forward and make their vows official.
A spokeswoman with National Defence confirmed it was the first wedding for a gay couple in the military’s history.
The department’s guidelines say same-sex couples must be treated like heterosexuals.
The Nova Scotia Supreme Court ruled last September that banning same-sex marriage was unconstitutional.
You report this like it’s some weird exotic thing. People get married all the time. What’s the big deal? Now, they qualify for a PMQ (permanent married quarters).
Sorry if you got the wrong impression. A lot of Americans will be stunned by this, and I think that’s a great thing. The sooner everybody gets over this shit, the better. But the first gay military wedding in Canada is a milestone worth celebrating.
That’s the point I was making, if too obliquely.
I think it was a nice post-something to give us here in the medieval US some hope! And I thank you for it!
Weddings should always be celebrated – thank you for letting us share in the celebration.
Someday the headline should read as changed…
So I’ll raise a glass in celebration to the couple when I get home from work tonight….and to the Lt. Cmdr that officiated.
I’m glad that you’ve posted this … I thought of it myself, but assumed that most had read about it already.
Some real positives can be seen in this case.
First, the military recognizing homosexuals as citizens.
Second, openly celebrating the marriage of two commited individuals.
Third, the officiants were of different denominations (Anglican and United), showing that religions can offer marriage to all individuals and still maintain their personal and religious convictions.
A snippet from CBC article (Airbase hosts 1st military gay wedding):
All around, a very positive and enlightened approach to the issue.
O.