The following CNN news video is about Ashley Broadway, a lesbian military spouse currently stationed in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. It is now possible to see this situation since the anti-gay military policies of the past are no longer being enforced. But in this case, Ashley is being denied entry into a military spouse’s club because of her sexual orientation. This video was added to the CNN website on January 8, 2013.
Note: The military does not yet recognize gay marriage due to existing federal law. So same-sex military spouses are not recognized and don’t get the same benefits as regular spouses. The claim that the club made that Ashley was being denied because she didn’t have a military-issued ID card is one of the lamest pretextual excuses I have ever come across. If you are going to discriminate, do it openly and admit it. Don’t make dumb excuses.
Entry into a private club is different than discrimination by the government. While I would certainly encourage such a club to accept Ashley Broadway, clubs like this generally have a right of free association. That is also covered by the First Amendment. I’m not 100% sure that denying Ashley entry into a military officer’s spouse club is legal. But since places like the golf club at Augusta National were able to legally deny membership to women, then it seems that the club can also deny Broadway entry based on sexual orientation. That assumes that this is a private club and not somehow legally deemed a government entity due to its association with the military.
On the flip side, it really makes this club look bad. Broadway’s wife is just as much a soldier as any man. So Ashley should be treated the same as any spouse. Just because you have a legal basis for discriminating against someone doesn’t mean you should and doesn’t make you a good person or group of people when you do so. It’s pathetic, quite frankly.