Barry Winchell at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. So severe was the beating Winchell s head was swollen and his eyes were completely black that his corpse was almost unrecognizable to his mother. Two soldiers were later convicted of crimes related to his murder. Yet the problems didn t start and don t end there. Underneath this policy lies a military institution that is unwilling to protect the basic human and civil rights of its members.
Official complaints are rare because there is no safe recourse.
While violent beatings resulting in death may not be the typical scenario for homophobic behavior in the armed forces, much else about the Winchell case the circumstances leading up to the murder and its aftermath reveals a pattern that is all too common. Many service members who are suspected of being gay face everyday harassment that is condoned by the leadership. Official complaints are rare because there is no safe recourse. Two different inquiries into his private life had been undertaken by two sergeants in his command. These inquires were based on reports that he had been given a ride to a civilian area in the vicinity of a gay bar.