South Korea has officially announced that they will be giving legal protection to same-sex United States military couples. The Defense Department documents confirmed the reports.
In a report by WND, the documents from the Defense Department were obtained and released by the American Military Partners Association, a Washington, DC-based organization that supports gay military families. Ashley Broadway-Mack, the president of the aforementioned association, said in a press release that the latest legal protection has taken off a "huge burden" off of the shoulders of many military families. Broadway-Mack added that the latest announcement will no longer let the service members' families "go through extraordinary lengths to stay together."
Gay spouses have become eligible for U.S. military benefits since 2013. However, they are often not permitted to join their family members at overseas duty stations due to restrictions of forces agreements with the host countries. Many other countries still do not recognize same-sex marriage.
Military.com reported that South Korea hosts around 30,000 American troops. A 2013 decision by U.S. Forces Korea allow gay military families to still use base facilities such as the commissary and the Exchange. The latest announcement by South Korea makes them the 51st country to join the others who allow gay families to stay together during overseas tours.
Some countries who do not recognize same-sex marriage do not allow families of gay military couples to stay on their bases in their country and do not offer special visas or extend aid regarding expenses.
Military Times reported that for the past years, military officials have been working with State Department teams to address this issue. Germany was one of the countries who was added to the list just last summer. Approvals for several other countries are still pending.
Other countries who support same-sex military couples are Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Bahamas, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, Finland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Laos, Mexico, Nepal, New Zealand, Philippines, South Africa, Spain, Thailand, United Kingdom, Vietnam, and many more.
