WASHINGTON, D.C. – An amendment passed last week in the U.S. House of Representatives to the 2013 Defense Appropriations Bill would prohibit same-sex couples from holding weddings, civil unions, or other commitment ceremonies on military bases, and would forbid military chaplains from officiating at any such ceremonies.

The amendment was sponsored by Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), who says the Obama Administration has circumvented the federal Defense of Marriage Act [DOMA], by permitting gay couples to wed on-base. “[DOMA] means this: Marriage means only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife,” said King.

“And the word ‘spouse’ only refers to a member of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife.” LGBT rights activists say the measure has more bark than bite, since the amendment prohibits the use of military funds for same-sex unions, and there have been no instances of such an occurrence.