Same-Sex Couples To Get Military Benefits

Well, better late than never, Pentagon.

The U.S. military admin base has divulged that, beginning September, same-sex couples will be offered the same military benefits that opposite-sex couples have received for decades. These include housing, health care, education benefits, and financial aid for those who have a spouse in the military.

From the announcement:

The Department of Defense remains committed to ensuring that all men and women who serve in the U.S. military, and their families, are treated fairly and equally as the law directs.

The overthrowing of DOMA and Prop 8 inspired the change, which follows the U.S. Department of Immigration's allocation of green cards to foreign-born, same-sex spouses. The decision came after a consultation with the Justice Department, the Pentagon said.

What about the military couples who don't live in a state where same-sex marriage is legal? (That's 37, for the record.) The Pentagon has made room for them, as well: those couples will get ten days leave from the military, so they can travel to a state that will make their marriage legal. After they receive certification, benefits will start trickling in right away.