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VA Delegate Presses Case For Banning ‘Active Homosexuals’ From Virginia National Guard

This morning, Virginia Delegate Bob Marshall (R) — who has responded to the Congressional repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell by introducing legislation to prevent gay people from serving in Virginia National Guard — appeared on Fox and Friends to press his case for preserving the ban against “active homosexuals” serving the state:

MARSHALL: Well, active homosexuals, not people with a sexual persuasion that way…This is has been the policy of the United States for 232 years and the moral assumption for the last 6,000 years, so when Congress decided to change this on the weekend when they’re in lame duck session, when they’ve been repudiated by the voters and on a bill that dealt with the Small Business Administration and allowed no amendments except this, that’s a problem. […]

I checked with the Virginia National Guard recruiters and Army recruiters we clearly have different admission standards right now…We can have different policies. This is a separate unit. When you join the U.S. Army in Virginia, you don’t join the Virginia National Guard.”

Watch it:

Marshall’s proposal stands little chance of being enacted and has been condemned by Virginia’s conservative governor Bob McDonnell. “The governor is a retired United States Army officer, and he knows it is critically important that there be one set of rules for all our men and women in the military, since uniformity of major policy across all branches is essential to effective operations,’’ McDonnell spokesman Tucker Martin told the Washington Post. “We are not aware of a single instance in recent history where the Virginia National Guard has not complied with the policies and procedures of the Department of Defense. Furthermore, approximately 90 percent of the Virginia Guard’s funding is federal, and any departure from federal policies may put this funding at risk.”

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Delegate Joseph Morrissey (D) has also proposed a counter bill that would “codify in state law that the Virginia National Guard is subject to the same eligibility requirements as the U.S. military.”