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Candidate Kerry criticized for
support of DADT
Historically supportive of gay rights.
Presidential candidate. Sen. John
Kerry'still says gay Don't Ask, Don't
Tell military ban "Could work"
by Nathanial Frank
Center for Study of Sexual Minorities
SANTA BARBARA, CA. — a' Military
Scholar who studies the US military’s ban on
openly gay soldiers raised concern recently
over remarks by a leading Democratic presi
dential contender, Massachusetts Sen. John
Kerry, about the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Don’t
Harass, Don’t Pursue" policy. In an interview
with In Los Angeles magazine. Sen. Kerry
expressed opposition to the policy on gay sol
diers, but stopped short of a promise to work
to end the ban if he were elected President.
When asked if he would “challenge” the
policy, he said, “you can’t do it right now
because it’s an Administrative issue, an exec
utive issue." He also said the ban “could work
if it’s applied properly — they’re simply not
following the policy.” When asked if he would
“act to eradicate the policy,” he said he would
“take steps to try to guarantee that we have
fair access to service in the military for every
body in America with no holds barred.”
Dr. Aaron Belkin, Director of the Center for
the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military
at the University of California, Santa Barbara,
questioned the meaning of Sen. Kerry’s asser
tion that the ban could work if it were “applied
properly.” He said that whether the ban
“could work” depends on what the goals of
the ban are. “What it has clearly worked to
do,” he said, “is to swell the number of dis
charges and encourage anti-gay harassment
by discouraging victims from speaking out for
fear of reprisals.” In some instances, a report
of harassment has prompted an investigation
into the victim’s sexual orientation instead of
the behavior of the accused.
Belkin disputed Sen. Kerry’s contention
that the gay ban was an administrative issue.
He explained that the current policy, imple
mented in 1994, was passed by Congress and
see KERRY on 26
Gen. Clark declines invitation
to AVER conference
Convention honored by attendance
of murdered PFC's parents
SAN ANTONIO, TX — Maj. Gen, Robert T.
Clark, President George W. Bush’s controver
sial nominee to command the Fifth United
States Army, has declined an invitation to
attend an April conference organized by
American Veterans for Equal Rights (AVER).
President Bush recently re-nominated Maj.
Gen. Clark for promotion to Lieutenant
General, the Army’s second highest rank. His
nomination had been derailed by the Senate
Armed Services Committee in 2002, '
Maj. Gen. Clark, former commanding gen
eral of Fort Campbell, KY, where Pfc. Barry
Winchell was murdered in 1999 by fellow sol
diers who believed Winchell was gay. Winchell
endured constant anti-gay harassment leading
up to his murder and reported the harassment
to Maj. Gen. Clark’s Inspector General, who
failed to act.
Pfc. Winchell’s parents, Patricia and Wally
Kutteles attended the conference. Other guests
included Rep. Ciro Rodriguez (D-TX) and rep
resentatives from Servicemembers Legal
Defense Network, the Center for the Study of
Sexual Minorities in the Military and the
Human Rights Campaign.
In a letter to AVER, Capt. Matthew R.
Moore of the Fifth US Army noted Maj. Gen.
Clark “will be happy to meet with [AVER] at a
later date when his schedule permits."
“Maj. Gen. Clark has a long record of silence
regarding the anti-gay environment so preva
lent in our armed forces,” said Lt. Col. Nancy
Russell, USA Ret., AVER’S conference organizer.
“AVER has offered a unique opportunity for
Maj. Gen. Clark to denounce anti-gay preju
dice and to clarify his stance regarding the
service and safety of lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender military personnel. We fully
expect that he will keep his word and meet
with us soon.”
info:
www.over.us
Connie J. Vetter
Attorney and Counsellor at Law
LGBT Legal Services
including
Mediation for Break-ups,
Property Division, etc.
704-567-5530