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Will and Erwynn Umali-Behrens, the first gay couple to be married on a US military base, shared their story with Slate and took questions on Facebook, Thursday.
Take a look at what they have to say about their historic union after the jump!
Here are a few questions and answers, but be sure to check out Will and Erwynn's full Q&A session here.
Erin McLaughlin: Congratulations! My question: Why did you two decide to hold the ceremony on a military base? And did you experience any push back or hesitation from officials on the base when you approached them about holding the ceremony there?
Erwynn Umali-Behrens: Initially, we were still thinking about where we should have it and we wondered if we can get married on base, so we asked and they were very open about it but said "no one has ever asked us this question before,” so they were very helpful about helping us make it happen, and we did not get any pushback from the base or leadership. The base and leadership were extremely helpful. All they asked was that we be patient because this was the very first one.
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Ellen Tarlin: What has the reaction been to the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" among the military members that you know: friends, neighbors, colleagues, etc.?
Erwynn Umali-Behrens: The reaction has been great! The support has been phenomenal and actually overwhelming. The military has policies that we must follow and we are doing so and it has all been great.
Katherine Goldstein (Slate writer): One of my favorite things Erwynn pointed out to me was that the military is really good at following orders, and since repealing DADT was an order, people are very good at following it. It was really interesting to hear Will's aunts say they had been against the repeal until they learned how negative it had been for Will and Erwynn. I think sharing stories like these give people a lot more empathy for what the ban was actually like for people.
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