The Air Force has ruled that one of its commanders had a right to exercise his religious beliefs when he declined to sign a certificate of appreciation for the same-sex spouse of an airman under his command. Col. Leland Bohannon, a Christian, had previously refused to sign a certificate of appreciation for the same-sex spouse of a retiring master sergeant in his command.
Last year, the Air Force ruled that the incident was discrimination, and passed Bohannon up for promotion to brigadier general. Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., and other lawmakers, sent a letter to Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson in December, supporting Bohannon’s bid for a religious accommodation in the case.
In a reversal of fortunes, Wilson responded Monday with her own letter, notifying Lamborn that the director of the Air Force Review Boards Agency granted Bohannon his appeal.
“The director concluded that Colonel Bohannon had the right to exercise his sincerely held religious beliefs and did not unlawfully discriminate when he declined to sign the certificate of appreciation for the same-sex spouse of an airman in his command,” Wilson wrote. The letter reaffirmed that the Air Force has a duty to treat people fairly and without discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin and sexual orientation.
In this case, however, that duty was met “by having a more senior officer sign the certificate,” Wilson wrote.
Poster Comment:
I am very surprised.
