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CLINTON TO COURT: LET PENTAGON BAR GAYS

By Shelley Ettinger

The Clinton administration has filed a federal court brief
opposing last month's ruling that the U.S. military's ban on
lesbians and gays is unconstitutional.

Clinton aides in the Justice Department say they want to block
the California decision from taking effect while the president 
negotiates with the brass on letting gays into the military.

In February Clinton dropped his plan to sign an executive order 
lifting the anti-gay ban. Instead, he announced a "compromise"
that entailed waiting six months before taking any action.

During the six-month hiatus, the Senate Armed Forces Committee
will hold hearings. Many lesbian and gay activists have predicted
the hearings, with Sen. Sam Nunn presiding, will amount to a
platform for the ultra-right.

In its legal brief, the Justice Department asserts the ruling 
against the anti-gay ban "is clearly overbroad [and] restricts
the authority of the president in consultation with Congress to
make rules governing the armed forces, and should be stayed
pending appeal ..."

The plaintiff in the case, Petty Officer Keith Meinhold, reacted 
with anger. He said, "Wouldn't this be nice and convenient to 
trample all over the constitutional rights of ... service members
just to make a politically expedient compromise ..."

Others noted the irony: Clinton backed off his commitment to sign
an executive order lifting the anti-gay ban. Yet he now seeks to 
block the judiciary from nullifying the ban--by asserting that
it's his presidential prerogative to do so.

"This just proves that we can't rely on politicians like Bill 
Clinton to give us our rights," commented Teresa Gutierrez of the
Movement for a Peoples Assembly. "The only reason Clinton even 
considered lifting the ban was because of the strength of the 
lesbian and gay movement demanding it.

"Now we've got to step up the pressure. The chicanery by the
White House should prompt us to redouble our efforts to bring
more than a million people to march on Washington April 25. We've
got to fill the streets and show our rage.

"That's what will topple the anti-gay ban." 

                               -30-

(Copyright Workers World Service: Permission to reprint granted 
if source is cited. For more info contact Workers World, 46 W. 21
St., New York, NY 10010; via e-mail: ww%nyxfer@igc.apc.org or
workers@mcimail.com.)


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