From: buckmr@aix.rpi.edu (Ron Buckmire)
Newsgroups: soc.motss
Subject: Re: ending the military ban
Date: 25 Aug 92 23:52:51 GMT


Scott Hays writes on Gaynet:

Good Day All.... Well found some more news from Omaha.
Again from the World-Herald, Monday August 25, 1992. Page 5.
It appears to be a reprint from an AP feed

               Opponents Expect Military Band
                On Homosexuals to Fall Soon

     Opponents of the military's ban on homosexuals and
lesbians in uniform are more confident than ever that the
prohibition will fall.
     It's just a matter of time, they say, pointing to a
confluence of signs, including:
-- The introduction of legislation to kill the policy.
-- Release of a congressional study showing the high cost of
drumming gays out of the military.
-- A promise by Democratic presidential nominee Bill Clinton
to repeal the ban if he is elected.

                      Several Avenues
     "We've never been at this juncture before," said Tanya
Domi, legislative director for the National Organization of
Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Veterans.  "We have a presidential
nominee who has said he would repeal the polity, a bill in
the House, a bill in the Senate... It is really, really
remarkable in terms of the history of the issue just how far
we have come."
     The change could happen in several ways:  An act of
Congress, the opinion of a high court or an executive order
signed by the president.  And while opponents don't agree on
how or when, they do concur that the change is comming--even
if Clinton loses.
     "The momentum is increasing as every gay service member
and every lesbian soldier comes forward, and we believe more
members of Congress are personally moved by their stories,"
said Robert Bray, spokesman for the National Gay and Lesbian
Task Force.  "It's imminent that this policy will fall."
     The Defense Department policy, which began during World
War II, states simply that "homosexuality is incompatible
with military service" because it undermines the armed
forces' ability to maintain good order and morale.  The
Pentagon offers no studies or research to support the
policy.
     Soldiers and sailors can be dismissed not only for
homosexual conduct but also if they "demonstrate a
propensity to engage in homosexual conduct," according to
Pentagon policy.
                       Costly Policy
     Some have fought their discharges in court, arguing
that the policy is unconstitutional, but only one soldier,
Army Sgt. Perry Watkins, has ever won.
     The appeals court in Watkins' case reasoned that he had
been candid about his homosexuality from the start of his
career and the Army had continued to re-enlist him.  The
U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the Army's appeal and
Watkins subsequently agreed to retire.
     The Supreme Court has never accepted a homosexual
discharge case for review.
     A recent study by the General Accounting Office found
that the federal government spent almost half a billion
dollars between 1980 and 1990 to kick homosexuals out of the
service.  The costs included recruiting, training and
replacing personnel.
     Approximately 1,500 soldiers and sailors are discharged
annually for homosexuality, the GAO found.
     Some 10 percent of the population is believed to be
homosexual and the military, despite its anti-gay policy, is
probably no different, the report said.
     Rep. Patricia Schroeder, D-Colo., introduced a bill in
May that would overturn the ban.  Last month, Sen. Howard
Metzenbuam, D-Ohio, introduced it in the Senate.
                     Executive Function
     Lawrence Korb, former assistant defense secretary for
manpower in the Reagan administration who is now a scholar
at the Brookings Institution, said while the public favors
repealing the ban, he thinks Congress will resist doing the
job.
     "Congress doesn't want to mandate it because that's
really kind of an executive function," he said.  "They would
much prefer the executive branch to recognize it
themselves."
     However, if Clinton is not elected president, the ban
will fall by 1995 at the latest, Korb predicted.
     "It'll either be Congress, the courts or a
combination," he said.

Nothing really earth shattering in this article... Just a
little something to brighten your day.

Also I am now the Faculty/Staff Advisor for the GLSO here at
the University of Nebraska at Omaha.  I've never done this
before and have a long road ahead of me to make this a
viable group here on campus... Any help would be
appreciated, when it comes to pointing me in a direction to
draw members in and help them feel comfortable with
themselves....

Scott Hays
=====================
Still working on a SIG. Block

-- 
RON BUCKMIRE, 11 Colvin Circle, Troy, NY 12180-3735 ``D.C., April 25 1993''
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Repeat after me: "Mel Gibson is a Catholic Fundie from Hell!"
Repeat after me: "Mel Gibson is a Catholic Fundie from Hell!"
Newsgroups: soc.motss