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Courtesy Ashley Broadway
Ashley Broadway, left, is pictured with her wife, Lt. Col. Heather Mack and their 2-year-old son.
Hours after same-sex Army wife Ashley Broadway was named Fort Bragg's 2013 “spouse of the year,” the on-base spouses club — that has for two months rebuffed Broadway's bid to join — fully reversed course and invited her "to become a full member," according to emails sent to NBC News and Broadway.
The decision comes one week after the Association of Bragg Officers' Spouses (ABOS) extended Broadway — who is married to Army Lt. Col. Heather Mack — a "special guest membership," an invitation she declined and called "extremely demeaning."
"After further reviewing the (club's) constitution, by-laws and internal procedures, the ABOS Board felt that in order to immediately support all military Officer spouses who are eligible for ABOS membership a more inclusive definition of spouse was needed. Therefore, any Spouse of an active duty commissioned or warrant Officer with a valid marriage certificate from any state or district in the United States is eligible for ABOS membership," the club's board said in a statement.
"ABOS does not discriminate based on race, gender, religion, national origin, age, disability, creed, or sexual orientation. ABOS would like to publicly invite Ms. Broadway to apply for full membership to ABOS. It is and always has been our mission to support all military families."
In an email to Broadway — shared with NBC News — the club said, "We would like to offer you to become a full member of ABOS."
"I will go ahead and submit my application," Broadway said in response to the invitation. "I need to educate some of the naysayers that are in that group and show them my family is just like their family."
In the online election held Tuesday, Broadway captured the Fort Bragg vote “by a country mile,” said Babette Maxwell, founder of Military Spouse magazine and the Military Spouse of the Year award. Ballot totals were not revealed.
As one of the 154 base-level winners, Broadway now is eligible to be nominated for Army “spouse of the year.”
“A lot of people who voted never me met or talked to me or knew me from Adam. I know it was a statement to the Obama Administration, to Secretary (of Defense Leon) Panetta, to Senator (Chuck) Hagel — if he is confirmed (as defense secretary) — to the Pentagon and, really, to America that, yes, she is a military spouse and she needs to be recognized,” Broadway told NBC News.
“There are things the government can do right now to make life a hell of a lot easier than what it is currently for those who are in same-sex marriages in the military,” she added. “It was a lot of people saying, ‘Enough’s enough.’ ”
Broadway’s rejection from the Fort Bragg officers’ spouses club sparked the U.S. Marine Corps to issue on Jan. 9 a pro-gay, branch-wide directive. On Jan. 16, her bid drew the Pentagon’s attention. The next day, the on-base spouses club offered Broadway a "special guest membership" – an invitation she declined, calling it “extremely demeaning.”
Broadway married Mack, her 15-year companion, in November — their first chance to hold a formal ceremony after the 2011 repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” the policy that kept gays from openly serving in the military. The couple has a 2-year-old son and Mack gave birth to their second child, a daughter, on Tuesday.
“People got one vote per email address — one ballot for the person you wanted to represent you. I think people would be unwilling to, quote-unquote, throw their vote away on simply doing what was popular,” Maxwell said. “There was a significant amount of meaning in what they were doing when they voted for Ashley.
“Removing her a bit from the press and recognition she’s received the last few months, Ashley — more importantly — has a platform to benefit a large number of spouses, and that’s what people want to see happen,” Maxwell added. “The winners are chosen based on their merits, their accomplishments and what they intend to do for the community in the year to come.”
Broadway has volunteered to tutor soldiers’ children in reading, briefed inbound Army families on local school districts, and helped transferring soldiers with housing-location decisions.
“When I was denied membership, I asked to speak to the club’s board. I was convinced that if they’d just sit down with me for half an hour, if I could talk to them about what I’ve been doing, what I’ll be doing in the future, they would see what an asset I would be to the group,” Broadway said.
The meeting was not granted.
“That was the most frustrating thing,” she said.
Before its decision late Friday to relent and offer Broadway full membership, the ABOS board had maintained Broadway was never rejected because “a formal application was never filed,” and that she simply had inquired about the eligibility of a same-sex spouse and was told the club would need “time to look at the issue.”
Online voting for the next round of the 2013 Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year — the branch level — will take place Feb. 5. The overall winner, elected from the branch finalists, will be revealed May 9.
"I never thought in a million years I would be the one to advance the cause. If that’s what it’s going to take to get attention for all the military same-sex spouses, then so be it," Broadway said. "But I do take this (Bragg 'spouse of the year' award) very seriously. And we'll see where it goes from here."
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America the sick... turn your back on GOD and he will turn his back on you (just look at our schools)! Liberals have polluted our society... I hope you are ready for your just reward!
GOD has has too many of his own problems to worry about us. None of his candidates were elected.
Too bad our 1st Amendment directly contradicts the 1st Commandment of your bronze-age cult, eh?
yawn. america the sick? yeah, that equal rights and not hating people is just awful. lol.
We don't HATE you we know you are sick!
Yes bigotry and narrow mindedness is a sickness.
I suggest you seek medical treatment for your narrow mindedness.
The schools? You mean the ones that right wing, NRA gun laws have turned into murder floors? Those NRA folks are your buddies, not mine.
It's you who are narrow minded, you can't think past your pee pee! In fact your pee pee is your GOD!
NRA didn't TURN anything, you and your liberal scum turned schools into Sodom and Gomorrah!
"pee pee"? lol, what are you, 12 yeard old?
Skrekk - remember that when your butt is burning in hell.
Because you have a one-way ticket son.
More threats from your imaginary friend?
How pathetic.
Personally, I could care less who people want to be with, their sexual orientation or who they want to marry. It is none of my business and none of anyone Else's business either. So, why keep forcing the issue? Those who accept it or have no opinion don't need to be reached. Those with strong opinions against will not be swayed.
On another note. I am not happy how these instance are being treated by the media and anyone who feels they need to throw extra support behind it.
History has proven that our society cannot allow (though we continually do it) people to feel "special" as a group. We feel the need to involve government in all aspects of "special" circumstance groups. What happens then? Well, there ends up being some deal made up so the next "victim group" gets special treatment, via "Affirmative Actions". So, instead of knowing you are in line behind African Americans, Latinos, Orientals, Women, those with physical disabilities, those with mental disabilities and etc., you are now behind all those people and those who are Gay.
That is the problem with government involvement in the public lives. They make laws to protect people who don't really need protecting and the average schmuck gets shuffled down the ladder. Pretty sad that we cannot be judged, simply as human beings, parents or having a good work ethic.Trying to make things" fair" has ended up making them not fair. And we wonder why there is always an uproar over issues that give certain people or groups special treatment above other folks? What ever happened to pride? What happened to getting a loan, job or whatever because you were qualified for it? I guess I don't see the logic, but I am sure someone will, with their heart on their sleeve, explain to me how past unfairness against should equal future unfairness for.
Ummmmm......the problem in this case is DOMA which grants special rights and privileges to straight folks.
The other problem is the greedy bigots who work so hard to keep those special rights for themselves while denying them to the Americans they want to treat as 2nd-class citizens.
Just an FYI, equal rights aren't "special rights". The current situation regarding gays in the military is exactly like what happened when the army racially integrated, and all you bigots whined so loudly that blacks were getting special rights.
AMEN - I couldn't have said this better myself.
Right on target, they want to be equal, but in fact they want to be special--hence none of the other spouses who were nominated by their bases had an article written, did they?
Not to be mean, but they look like sisters...
Congratulations on your win and also to both of you on the new addition to your family!
That loud popping sound you keep hearing is all the far right people's heads exploding.
Congrats to Ashley and her family.
I didn't know the army allowed such obese people.
cockroach, dont you belong back in school learning to read?
The officer gave birth to a baby on Tuesday. She wasnt obese - she was PREGNANT.
You however are ignorant and illiterate.
right on cockroach
they used to have weight standards i guess
my my - that poor officers club - what a loss to not allow the spouse in - NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Genenut,
Why are all gay people so rude? You are an evil nasty person!
American women tend to use the excuse that they are, "eating for two," to allow themselves to get obese. Did you ever notice that Asian women don't turn into water buffalo, when they are pregnant?
We're rude because you bigots are nasty and clueless homophobic misogynists, and apparently don't bother to read the article to learn the facts before you denigrate the people you hate.
skrekk,
You just proved my point. You homophiles are just plain mean, nasty and illiterate.
Hey cockroach. I'm not gay but you are ignorant and illiterate.
She was 9 months pregnant when the picture was taken.. what part of that do you fail to comprehend?
Looks like there's a reason they're called ignorant bigots. Maybe "willfully ignorant" or "illiterate" would be a more appropriate adjective.
Seriously, what kind of total moron comments without reading the article?
Newsflash - as a mother, if you look these obese when pregnant - then 10-1 you were overweight when you started.
Wait and see...time will prove me right--let's look at her 6 months from now.
@skrekk They are both fat so what is the for the spouse? sympathy weight gain?
The acceptance of all sexual preferences in society are to be allowed for the stated purpose of equality. The magazine editor Babette Maxwell has an on going crusade against those at Fort Bragg even to the point of calling them homophobes. Yet her opinion is she does not agree with homosexuality? Equality in human sexual conduct covers a broad spectrum of endeavors and practices. In the US we have allowed animal sacrifice, and many other pursuits contrary to normal behaviour. Insecurity is a byproduct of these abnormalities. Which is why acknowledgement of themselves will be taken to extremes. Do we see a correlation in other areas where individuals demand acceptance or attention, notoriety, fame, or infamy?
Voted...You mean enough high ranking personnel were put on notice to correct the political incorrectness and vote this nasty immoral person as the spouse of the year. Mr. Obama is trying to really boost the gay community. When I was in the military, homosexuality was wrong, immoral, disgusting, and bottom feeders of the world, and should be dealt with in the strongest fashion. If a person is gay, then let them be gay, and harm come to them, but to glamorize an immoral behavior, pretend somehow they could be possibly a family, they can't procreate, what a joke. It is a sick fetish, no real human behavior in it, just an immoral act of debauchery. Now we accept it as an alternate lifestyle, I reject you and your filth Mr. President, not my president by any means, you are a liar, thief, and a person who couldn't be trust with a nickel let alone a country. Two fat nasty piglets, with a child that will not know how to be normal growing up, no daddy, oh, let me guess one of them will play daddy. Just messed up, we need to divide the country into the sick Yankee states, and the moral GOD fearing, loving states. Tolerate, no I don't have to tolerate anything that I was told by the U.S. Government was immoral, now perfectly normal and acceptable. Next thing they will try and tell us that homosexuality is moral, what a joke Obama.
Too bad your cult and your imaginary friend in the sky are irrelevant to our secular government, eh?
That must really burn the britches of you Christofascists.
clearly a political stunt on part of the military - unbelievable
As a nation we`ve become the laughing stock of the world . Our ideas are in -breed and immoral . Of course this is going to be interrupted as close -minded , however I don`t play the guilt trip . Become normal friends but for butt sake stop touching .
who is laughing at us?
Deviant-Period Total Bullshiat What a sick freaking world we live in
yeah, your hatred is sick. It will be the death of this country yet. :)
No, deviancy and failure to abide by God's laws will be the death of this country.
So first you're arguing that a private group has to enforce DOMA, and now you're arguing that the government has to enforce the sharia laws of your cult?
ROFLMAO.
Sharia laws - you know nothing.
You're just an arrogant, narrow minded, I have all the answers because I'm a man, name calling bully.
Typical and expected.
Your god's laws are no better than Sharia Laws.
"Follow me or be damned for eternity, bitches."
Two large women in love? Not newsworthy. Even by Sarah's standards. Or lack there of...
it gets all the haters here to spew, which makes more advertising money for nbc news. lol.
congratulations...it will be really nice when the story stands alone and the rest of the baggage is unnecessary...very happy and proud of Ashley and her family
Nothing wrong with this. God accepts all types. After all, he did teach his priests how to fondle little boys.
Logic? The Roman church protected homosexual priests so the military must support homosexual "spouses"?
Bob being homosexual is not the same as pedophilia...
Ok last comment on this article. Ignorance is bliss for many of you. The United States has freedom of religion I don't have to believe in any God if I choose not to and I can believe in many Gods if I choose. I am tired of everything going back to the Christian Religion ideology. We have Freedom of Religion in case you all forgot that. We have the right to be happy in this country apparently everyone on here posting negative comments is not happy with their lives and must judge the life that someone else leads. Take a good long look at your life and the things that you do. I am sure that all you spewing religion don't follow your religious beliefs the way you should. As far as God goes the way I was taught is that God is the one to make the final decisions not some person who thinks they know everything. Condemning someone because of your ignorance is wrong. We live in a world full of information that is accessible to everyone. take the time to Educate yourself.
Ignorance? Human or as it is called in scientific circles animal husbandry states quite clearly, male and female of species.
You lost your arguement in the second sentence when you invoked "United States!"
The entire early existance and development of this nation was steeped in Christian dogma, in that the framers of the Constitution & Decleration of Independence used Devine guidence to come up with a "more perfect union!" What liberals & progressives have done is denied us our time-honored history. They've perverted religion to such an extent in the public eye, that anyone with a moral-religious conscious is automatically discounted; again,,,,forgetting our history.
And who paid for this brainwashing? - - in large, the gay community! They have been well funded for decades!! It's called progressivism, and it's insidious tenticals have now attached to our military....... Feel safer now????
Strange........it seems that the founders deliberately didn't mention your imaginary friends or your bible-babble in our constitution or our laws. In fact, the only religious reference in the original constitution is a negative one. Apparently they deliberately created a secular government.
And our money has "In God We Trust" for a reason?
And...one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all - came from where?
There are mentions of God all over out national anthems, our money and lots of other instances - where did that come from?
Unfortunately all you God-hating, deviancy loving people will cause the world to end much sooner than it was planned. Eventually God has to come down and wipe everyone out once again and start over.
Both are primarily from the anti-commie hysteria of the 1950s.
Maybe you should read the original Pledge of Allegiance sometime?
Anti-commie hysteria.
You shouldn't be here then, move to another country that will embrace your type of facist wisdom - we don't need or want your type here.
I am very well versed in history - as it is written, not how I deemed to twist and turn and interpret what it says to match my view of what was intended.
Don't like it - get out - I'm sure China, North Korea or Russia will welcome your type with open arms.
Evidently not, otherwise you wouldn't make the totally ignorant comments you do.
Seriously, learn about the original Pledge of Allegiance.
If you didn't know where/when those two phrases appeared...you don't know jack about history.
No man would have em anyway YUCK!!!! Might as well be queer
what are you, 12 years old?
Actually I thought it was funny.
Apparently you didn't - tough.
Let's hear a statement from the Ft Bragg Officers Wives club president... Normally the president is a general's wife or at least a brigade commander's wife....
Tokenism usually leads to preferential, "affirmative" treatment... That's what we're seeing here....
............and just what if, the Book of Ancient philosophies is indeed correct?? After all, many predictions made thousands of years ago have come to pass; others pending. What if YOU'RE wrong liberal America???
Ever ask yourself that question???? (oh, of course you're not wrong; you never got a bad grade. Always got a trophy, and were kept in a germ free bubble for as long as possible)....
What a phuquehing joke!
I feel sorry for the kid. He is going to be so messed up when he grows up. It's just tragic.
how so? I hope he's not messed up like you are. :)
Im sure SHE will be just fine since her parents arent narrow minded bigots like you are.
Wow! The army must really have lowered their standards, like the rest of the ... How in the hell does that wife meet Height and Weight Body standards? Now I know why I left.
I talked with a guy who went through Army AIT recently. He told me, "if a soldier exhibits signs of stress,,,,he or she, is given a TIME OUT!" (he didn't eloborate on that, but it wasn't remedial push-ups; it was a kum-by-ya-ish, "time out").
Now I don't know about you, but my perception of about combat has always been - "It's probably the most stressful endeavor known to mankind!" How in the hell can we give a "time-out" to the most stressful occupation in the military? Wouldn't that be part of the weeding out process??
Seriously!?!
The officer was 9 month pregnant when the picture was taken. She gave birth on TUESDAY of this week.
Reading does wonders for understanding. May want to give it a try sometimes.
When I was in the military you had to be in good enough shape to pass physical fittests - I do not believe either one is physically fit to pass a fittness test.
special privilages are always bestowed upon "protected classes!"
Maybe try reading the article. She was 9 months pregnant when the picture was taken and gave birth on tuesday.
The "Spouse of the Year" acknowleges that those who elected her never met her and don't know her from Adam. This has nothing to do with being "Spouse of the Year", it's just homophiles imposing their behavior on the general population.
This reminds me of Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize, 3 minutes after taking office.
I think even Barry was embarrassed, at that one! LMAO.
what was "imposed" on you? lol.
It is time to put down the torches and put away the ropes. It doesn't matter if you agree with these practices or lifestyles. The real problem hasn't even hit the horizon yet. The next thing we will see is some sort of affirmative action applied to Gays. It isn't bad enough that the list is already long, we will see more people added. That is what people should be worried about. Not where or not "god" allows it. It doesn't matter. These people are going to be Gay regardless. It all hinges on "Equality". Equality doesn't mean Equal when you look at the governments definition of it. Equality, to the government, means you get special treatment. Lets start worrying about that. "Equality" is killing our country.
FYI, equal rights aren't special rights, even though you bigots sure do whine about it.
morgankj
Are you pshycic?Or psyco?
Gives a new meaning to "Mechanized Division" for sure.