A decorated US Army chaplain who faced a court martial over accusations of discrimination against a lesbian couple was cleared of all charges, it was reported on 25 August.
Major Scott Squires was investigated and faced dereliction of duty charges after he told a soldier he could not lead a marriage retreat that included a same-sex couple. The chaplain had to pull out of the event when he learned of the same-sex couple and arranged for an alternative chaplain to take over, but his actions were deemed discriminatory.
Major Squires was unable to lead the event both because of his religious beliefs, and because he is endorsed by the Southern Baptist Convention’s North American Mission Board (NAMB). NAMB policy prohibits endorsed chaplains from offering ‘any kind of relationship training or retreat’ for a same-sex couple, ‘on or off a military installation’.
