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GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE August, 1991

Army memo released in Steffan case says, 'Let gays serve'

New York-According to a document released June 19 by the Justice Department in the course of a lawsuit against the U.S. Naval Academy, the Department of Army appears to be considering a proposal to

reverse its current ban and permit gay and lesbian persons to serve.

The document was released by the Justice Department in conjunction with the discovery process in Joseph Steffan's civil

Amnesty International pressed to include gay prisoners

Washington, D.C.-Gay and lesbian groups lobbied Amnesty International USA's general meeting in Washington recently, seeking change in Amnesty's controversial policy toward gay and lesbian prisoners.

Called "Human Rights in the 21st Century," the conference was noteworthy for the high visibility of gay and lesbian activists, the candid remarks made by top Amnesty officers, and the promises made by Amnesty USA to lobby for change within the international parent organization, which has resisted adopting in its mandate people imprisoned for being gay and lesbian.

Gay and lesbian activists presented several workshops, lobbied Amnesty leaders, formally addressed participants, and participated in an anti-homophobia demonstration at the Mexican embassy during the conference. The event, the 13th Anniversary Annual General Meeting of Amnesty International USA, was held June 1316 at Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.

The controversy surrounding Amnesty centers on the organization's refusal to assist or defend gay men and lesbians arrested, tortured or harassed for expression of homosexuality or sexual conduct. The organization will adopt as prisoners of conscience those arrested on the basis of color, sex, religion, political belief and ethnic origin-but not sexual orientation.

Inclusion of gay men and lesbians in Amnesty's mandate and the decision to defend them will be put before the organization for a vote at its international conference in Japan this September.

If the vote is negative, the Gay & Lesbian Task Force to Change Amnesty International-a newly formed coalition of groups will call for a major boycott of Amnesty. Meanwhile, gay groups are continuing to work in cooperation with Amnesty to persuade it to change its policy.

Many in Amnesty USA support the progay change. "Gays and lesbians are us, and we are proud of them," said Jack Healey,

Amnesty USA's executive director, in his opening remarks at the conference. Amnesty USA is one of four Amnesty sections to call for inclusion of arrests based on sexual conduct. Healey said he plans to send a letter to the leaders of Amnesty's 46 sections around the world, urging them to support gays and lesbians.

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force met with local Amnesty officials before the conference in order to organize gay and lesbian participation and secure visibility in the event. Among other things, gay activists lobbied Amnesty country representatives, student members, volunteer leaders and officers.

Urvashi Vaid, NGLTF executive director, addressed the opening reception at the Amnesty conference, saying, "We are not the enemy, the enemy is hate." Vaid called on Amnesty USA to document in a major study anti-gay human rights violations.

Amnesty International Members for Lesbian and Gay Concerns, a newly formed group within Amnesty, vowed to step up its lobbying efforts to persuade other Amnesty sections to assist gay and lesbian prisoners—an action previously resisted by Amnesty executives.

One top Amnesty executive, Michael Schelew, stunned conference-goers by citing homophobia as the reason for his recent resignation from the prestigious position as chair of Amnesty's Mandate Review Committee. Schelew, a lawyer from Toronto, said that homophobia among high-level Amnesty administrators was "appalling." Schelew called for all Amnesty sections to support Amnesty USA's proposal, and for the inclusion of gay men and lesbians as a protected group in Amnesty's charter.

During the conference, gay and lesbian Amnesty members and outside activists participated in an NGLTF-sponsored demonstration at the Mexican Embassy to protest the homophobia that recently forced the International Lesbian and Gay Association to cancel its conference in Guadalajara and move it to Acapulco.

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rights lawsuit against the U.S. Naval Academy which discharged him for being gay in 1987. The fact that the document, which proposes changes in the Army's treatment of gay servicemembers, was produced by the government's attorneys defending the Naval Academy suggests that the memo reached the highest levels of military policy administration.

The four-page document-which has been described by gay activists as "stunning" and "staggering"--begins with a critical review of the background of the current policy, citing military research that indicates "homosexual personnel are no greater security risk than are their heterosexual counterparts." The review makes a distinction between sexual orientation and sexual behavior, acknowledges the great social changes that have occurred in the fifty years since the ban was first instituted, and recognizes that "homosexuality" has gained more acceptance in "society atlarge as a viable alternative lifestyle and a valid sexual orientation."

The document then goes on to assure those who may resist changes in the policy that:

"Current changes in Army policy [are] not an abdication to social pressure or pressure from courts, Congress, or special interest groups, or an erosion of the high moral standards expected of military personnel, but a sincere attempt by senior Army leadership to ensure that commanders continue to base their decisions on the time-honored principals of good order, discipline and morale rather than to resort to actions predicated on personal moral judgments."

A few sentences later, under the heading of "Justification," the memo goes on to state that a change in policy is needed "in

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order to establish a supportable Army policy that can withstand the inevitable challenge by either the courts or Congress."

The document ends with a dramatic proposal to change the current policy and states, in part, the "The Army shall not discriminate in recruitment, promotion or retention practices based on sexual orientation."

"This document is an absolute admission that the policies mandating the discharge of gay and lesbian personnel is unsupported by any evidence, has always been discriminatory, and is utterly without justification," stated Sandra J. Lowe, staff attorney with Lambda Legal Defense and counsel for Steffan. "We're extremely pleased this document has surfaced. Not only is it an internal admission that the ban on lesbians and gay men is based on prejudice and not military necessity, but it's also an indication that the change of the policy is inevitable, if not imminent.”

The memo was originally withheld on the basis of a claim by the government that the document was "privileged." The author of the document, the circumstances under which it was prepared, the date it was written and the status of the proposal are not clear.

Before he was discharged from the Naval Academy, Steffan was one of the ten highest-ranking members of his class with direct command over 800 fellow midshipmen. Six weeks before graduation, Steffan was questioned by the Academy commandant about a rumor that he was gay. In accordance with the Academy honor code, Steffan responded truthfully that he is gay. After two disciplinary boards recommended his discharge, Steffan, who is now 26, was forced to resign from the Academy and was denied his diploma.

For a copy of the Army memo contact Lambda at 212-995-8585. ▼

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