Pentagon Has No Plans To End Anti-Gay Policy

Despite the growing furor on college campuses and in Congress over the military's anti-gay policy, the Department of Defense maintains that it has no plans to review or change its policy anytime soon.

The Pentagon continues to defend its policy barring homosexuals from military service. The policy argues that gays pose a security risk, weaken discipline and jeopardize the chain of command.

The policy is based in part on the assumption that gay and lesbian soldiers are more susceptible to blackmail. In addition, Pentagon officials claim that the presence of homosexuals disrupts the camaraderie and trust necessary for an efficient, tightly-knit military unit.

The military's argument against homosexuals in the armed forces has changed little over the past 45 years, and is similar to arguments once used to keep women and Blacks out of the military.

Since 1943, between 80,000 and 100,000 gays and lesbians have been discharged from the armed forces. Just last August, over 1000 Gulf War veterans were investigated and discharged for homosexual activities.

Allan Berube, author of Coming Out Under Fire, claims that approximately 100,000 to 200,000 of the 2 million members of the armed services are homosexual.

The Pentagon says it investigates and discharges approximately 1400 gay and lesbian members of the armed forces per year.

Lt. Col. Douglas W. Hart, a Defense Department spokesperson, reiterated the Pentagon's position, saying, "Homosexuality is incompatible with military service."

Homosexual conduct also adversely affects the success of a military assignment because its presence would strain relationships between soldiers in close confinement, Hart says.

In addition, the current policy maintains public support for the military, Hart says. Homosexual enlistment in the armed services would undermine the military's stature and power.

But opponents of the policy say homosexuals do not pose a security risk. They point to two studies conducted by the Pentagon which found no evidence supporting the military's position.

The two studies, released in 1989, concluded that homosexuals did not pose a security risk and did not disrupt the military environment. The Defense Department, however, chose to reject the findings and down-played the studies as draft recommendations.

Opponents also say the policy hurts gays and lesbians seeking scholarship funds. The military has recently been waging a public battle to reclaim money and tuition reimbursements from homosexual students.

The Pentagon's position was undermined this past summer by a gay magazine's attempt to "out" a high-ranking Defense Department official, according to opponents of the policy. The Advocate, based in Los Angeles, said it wanted to point out the apparent hypocrisy in the position.

Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney responded by arguing that the ban on homosexuals applied only to military personnel and not to civilian officials in the Pentagon.

Cheney also said the argument that homosexuals posed a security risk because they could be blackmailed was "something of an old chestnut."

The Pentagon's policy can only be over-turned by an act of Congress, a decision by the Secretary of Defense or a ruling by the Supreme Court. Hart says he does not think the policy is likely to change in the future.

"Secretary Cheney has no plans to review or change the policy," says Hart.

In addition, the anti-gay policy has been upheld by recent court decisions. In December, a judge upheld the department's longstanding policy but also mentioned the spread of the AIDS virus as a possible threat.

While individual members of Congress have expressed their desire to change the antigay policy, the body has not yet moved on the issue.