ND Guard Issuing IDs for Same-Sex Couples

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) — The North Dakota National Guard says it will issue military identification for same-sex couples.

Guard spokeswoman Billie Jo Lorius tells the Grand Forks Herald the move was made because the North Dakota gets federal funding for Guard units.

Some Guard units in states that do not recognize gay marriage had been singled out by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel in a speech before the Anti-Defamation League.

The Defense Department began issuing identity cards to the spouses in same-sex couples following a Supreme Court ruling this year that cleared the way for them to receive the same work-related benefits given to heterosexual couples.

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