Gay “marriage” ceremonies may be conducted on military bases by military chaplains, the Pentagon announced in a controversial decision Sept. 30. Critics said the new policy violates the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defines marriage in federal law as being only between a man and a woman.

The Department of Defense (DOD) made clear the policy for its chaplains and facilities only 10 days after its ban on open homosexuality in the military was officially lifted. The Pentagon provided the guidance in two memos.

A Sept. 30 memo said a chaplain may participate in a private wedding at or away from a military installation if such a ceremony is not outlawed at the state or local level. A chaplain is not required to take part in a private ceremony if doing so would conflict with his or her “religion or personal beliefs,” according to the guidance. The memo also says a chaplain’s participation does not amount to a DOD endorsement of the ceremony.

Although the memo does not specifically mention gay “marriage,” it makes clear its issuance came in response to the repeal of the ban on open homosexuality.

In a Sept. 21 memo announced at the same time, the Pentagon said decisions about the use of military facilities for private occasions “should be made on a sexual-orientation neutral basis, provided such use is not prohibited by applicable state and local laws,” the American Forces Press Service reported.

“It is outrageous that only 10 days after repeal of the law against homosexuality in the Armed Forces, the Defense Department is already pushing the military further down the slippery slope,” said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, in a written statement. “The repeal law passed by the lame-duck Congress last year said nothing about authorizing same-sex ‘weddings’ on military bases or by military chaplains.”

DOMA “remains the law in America, defining marriage as a union of one man and one woman for all purposes under federal law,” said Perkins, who called on the White House “to end its multi-front attack upon marriage.”

Opponents of DOMA applauded the decisions.

[Editor’s note: This article is incomplete. The source for this document was originally published on Baptist Press—however, the original URL is no longer available.]