MAY 14, 1993

GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

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PHOTO BY BRIAN DEWITT

Robert Kyle Harney, of Medina, joined the Campaign for Military Service tour after being thrown out of the Navy following an anti-gay witchhunt.

'Tour of Duty' bus stops in Cleveland during 6-week run

The Campaign for Military Service, a broad-based effort to reverse the ban on gays in the U.S. military, organized a bus tour of gay ex-military personnel that covered 34 cities in 24 states over a six week period, ending in downtown Washington on Friday, April 23. The bus stopped in Cleveland on April 15 for a noontime rally on Public Square that drew a small crowd but received media coverage.

Some of those on the tour who spoke in Cleveland included disabled World War II veteran Herb King (who invented the "K" ration); Tanya Domi, a 15 year Army veteran who now works for NGLTF; Alan George Stephens, University of Alabama

football player, ROTC cadet and Army captain before he resigned; Scott D. Boykins, a seaman apprentice who served in Desert Storm and received an 'other than honorable' discharge; and Robert Kyle Harney from Medina, who was discharged from the Navy following what he called a "witch-hunt."

Other speakers included Loretta Mikolaj and Tim Downing from the Cleveland ACLU, which arranged for the rally; Keith Sutton from Stonewall Cleveland; Dean William Persell of Trinity Cathedral; and Rev. John Thomas of the United Church of Christ, who all spoke in favor of lifting the ban.

He may be Soldier of the Year, but if he's gay,

by Karyn Hunt

San Francisco-Military administrators began discharge proceedings April 29 against the Sixth Army's 1992 Soldier of the Year for his announcement during the March on Washington that he is gay.

Sgt. Jose Zuniga, a Persian Gulf War veteran, returned to work at the San Francisco Presidio to face his superiors, base spokesman Lt. Col. Steven Fredericks said. After an hour-long meeting with his company commander, Capt. Tracy Sharpe, administrators began filling out the paperwork to initiate dismissal proceedings.

Under a presidential directive, gay or lesbian military personnel are to be placed on standby reserve until President Clinton issues an executive order on the half-century ban on gays in the military.

The 23-year-old military journalist was accompanied to work by his lawyer, who said the Army was handling the situation appropriately.

Fredericks said Zuniga will remain on base until the discharge paperwork is complete, which could take between two weeks and a month. His fate after that is uncertain,

he has to go

depending on what happens with the ban.

"He's still on post. He's still a soldier in the U.S. Army and he'll perform duties commensurate with his rank," Fredericks

said.

During his 31⁄2 years in the service, Zuniga has earned four Army Commendation Medals, a Combat Medical Badge, an Army Achievement Medal and recognition as the Army's Military Journalist of the Year.

About six months ago, Zuniga came to terms with being gay, his attorney said. He decided two weeks ago, when the Presidio's commanding general named him Sixth Army Soldier of the Year, he would come out at a reception on the night before the March.

When he returned to San Francisco on Wednesday, Zuniga called his announcement "liberating."

"It's painful to be in the closet, to hide your sexual orientation-especially when it doesn't affect how you do your job," he said.

Zuniga said he feels confident Clinton will lift the ban on gays in service. He plans to fight for his right to serve his country, and hopes he will remain in the military for many years to come.

AIDS service groups meet with Clinton task force

Washington, DC-Twenty-one representatives of AIDS service and advocacy organizations met with members of the President's Health Care Task Force on April 16. The meeting offered a "unique opportunity for organizations that represent the AIDS community to become part of the health care reform process," remarked Mark Smith, exécutive vice president for the Kaiser Family Foundation and member of the President's Health Care Task Force.

The AIDS service and advocacy representatives brought to the discussion various

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issues they felt were of considerable importance to the AIDS community: the need for a comprehensive benefits package, the need for a vigorous research program, adequate compensation for health care providers, and the creation of a social support system for those with AIDS and other life threatening diseases.

"It was a very productive meeting. The AIDS service and advocacy representatives went away confident tht the President's Health Care working groups understood the issues confronting the AIDS community," said Smith."

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