Kirtland Air Force base colonel disciplined over same-sex marriage beliefs

[riversedge]

Source: stripes.com




Col. Leland Bohannon was relieved of command and a letter was sent by a superior officer recommending against his promotion for refusing to recognize a retiring master sergeant’s same-sex spouse.

U.S. AIR FORCE

By MADDY HAYDEN | The Albuquerque Journal (Tribune News Service) | Published: October 27, 2017

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A highly decorated Kirtland Air Force colonel who refused to sign a certificate of appreciation for a retiring master sergeant’s same-sex spouse says he was wrongly disciplined for following his religious beliefs.

Col. Leland Bohannon was relieved of command and a letter was sent by a superior officer recommending against his promotion after an Equal Opportunity complaint against him was substantiated. A religious liberties group is now demanding the reversal of the decision.

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............ Paula Neira, a transgender Navy veteran, attorney and clinical program director at the Johns Hopkins Center for Transgender Health, equated Bohannon’s actions with “bigotry.”

“The military is a secular institution and if an individual’s deeply held religious beliefs prevent them from doing their duty and leading/treating all of their subordinates equally then they need to resign,” she said in an email.....................

Read more: https://www.stripes.com/news/us/kirtland-air-force-base-colonel-disciplined-over-same-sex-marriage-beliefs-1.494779

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Col. Leland Bohannon was relieved of command and a letter was sent by a superior officer recommending against his promotion for refusing to recognize a retiring master sergeant’s same-sex spouse.
U.S. AIR FORCE

[Angry Dragon]

1. good on his superior

[MrScorpio]

2. This retired Air Force guy is pleased with the outcome!

[The Polack MSgt]

3. Good Riddance

The retiring MSgt's spouse deserves the same consideration and treatment as any other retirees spouse.

Unfortunately the worst the Colonel can expect is to retire with a $72-90K annual pension (depending on his time in service) But at least he'll never sniff a Brigadier's star

[iluvtennis]

4. As a former US Air Force officer, he knew what he was signing up for (sic) wrt military

policies on equal treatment.

[sarge43]

5. This retired Air Force gal has some questions for the colonel

Ah sir, how did you treat all the non-Christians under your command? How did you treat all the gays and lesbians? How did you treat any of your subordinates who had tattoos? Did you ban pork and shellfish from the chow halls? Did you close the base on Sundays? Did you make sure no one was wearing clothing made of mixed threads?

Or are you just another garden variety homophobic bigot?

[jmowreader]

6. You cant do the mixed threads prohibition in the military

Uniforms are a blend. And that line is an allegory - what the writer was really saying is, you can’t practice two religions.

[Spider Jerusalem]

7. That only applies to wool and linen

military uniforms are polyester, cotton/poly blend, or (more rarely these days) 100% wool.

[sarge43]

8. I understand. All I'm saying he's being a hypocrite like most of his ilk.

He supports one ancient law, but not all the others.

As I stated, like Mr Scorp, I'm retired AF. When I was wearing the Blue, religion was one of the very few subjects that was entirely an individual's private business and theirs alone.