Col. Leland Bohannon was on the verge of being promoted to a one-star general but it seems that those plans are now on the backburner.
Bohannon has been suspended from command and orders came down to prohibit him from being promoted.
The reason? Last May the colonel declined to sign a certificate of spouse appreciation for a retiring master sergeant’s same-sex spouse. To do so, he would have to go against his religious beliefs.
Now, it looks like not doing so may have ruined his career.
“His career is likely over and he will likely have to retire as a colonel instead of as a general,” Michael Berry, First Liberty Institute attorney Michael Berry, a prominent religious liberty law film that’s representing Bohannon, told the Todd Starnes Show.
“This sends a clear message – if you do not have the politically correct viewpoint, you are not welcome in the military,” Berry said. “The military is no longer a place of diversity and inclusion if you are a person who holds to a traditional belief on marriage.”
Keep in mind that even though Col. Leland Bohannon didn’t personally sign the certificate, he made sure that a two-star general did.
“(The colonel) went out of his way to make sure his Airman was accommodated,” Berry told the Todd Starnes Show.
In addition, the First Liberty Institute is arguing that there is no Air Force Instruction requiring a commander to personally sign a spouse certificate yet, the airman alleged that the colonel had “unlawfully discriminated against him on the basis of his sexual orientation” and the EO investigator agreed.
Bohannon and First Liberty Institute are urging the Air Force to reconsider.
Intolerence is not “diversity
Intolerence is not "diversity and inclusion."
It looks like the Gay Rights
It looks like the Gay Rights Movement is slowly but surely morphing into the Christian Right. We've gone from fighting to affirm our rights before the government to now fighting to impose our beliefs on others who do not share them. This is setting our movement and community up for an intense backlash. Good job! I'm sure Harvey Milk is proud.
Did you read this article?
Did you read this article? You are seriously confused. This doesn’t have anything to do with religion. The Master Sargent was being disrespected by the officer. The military’s policy on gays has changed. If the Colonel can’t accept that then he must accept the consequences.
He intruded his religious
He intruded his religious beliefs into his government job.
Unfortunately the Air Force's notorious for having Christian slogans banners in barracks and giving shitty assignments to Airmen who don't go to Chapel
What if he was Muslim and
What if he was Muslim and believed women had no place outside the home so he refused to promote females beneath him?
There are parallel´s with the
There are parallel´s with the UK´s General Medical Council guidance on abortion. It says that a doctor may refuse to sign an abortion authorisation certificate and may refuse to participate in the surgical procedure on grounds of personal belief BUT should not promulgate their views to the patient and must refer the patient to someone who has no ethical objection to the issue.
It strikes me that this Colonel´s actions were in keeping with that guidance and even as a gay man who is enthusiastic about gay marriage I feel he is entitled to follow his conscience.