Gay Couples Welcomed to British Military Housing

Now that Britain has dropped its ban on gay men and lesbians serving openly in the military, and now that Britain also has a civil union registry open to same sex couples, the Ministry of Defense has taken the next step and has opened up military housing, along with all other marriage-related benefits, to same sex couples who have registered their civil unions.

The United States, meanwhile, is getting ready to appeal a Third Circuit injunction against enforcement of the Solomon Amendment, which bars institutions of higher education from receiving federal funds if they don't provide access to military recruiters on campus. Many schools object to the US military's don't ask, don't tell policy which bars gay men and lesbians from serving openly. In Rumsfeld v. Forum for Academic and Institutional Rights, a group of law schools challenged the Solomon Amendment as an infringement of their rights to free expression and association. The case is scheduled for argument on December 6, 2005.