From karin@u.washington.edu Tue Nov 21 15:27:39 2000 Received: from jason03.u.washington.edu (root@jason03.u.washington.edu [140.142.8.11]) by lists.u.washington.edu (8.9.3+UW00.05/8.9.3+UW99.09) with ESMTP id PAA217688 for ; Tue, 21 Nov 2000 15:27:37 -0800 Received: from homer29.u.washington.edu (karin@homer29.u.washington.edu [140.142.8.39]) by jason03.u.washington.edu (8.9.3+UW00.05/8.9.3+UW00.01) with ESMTP id PAA32758 for ; Tue, 21 Nov 2000 15:27:36 -0800 Received: from localhost (karin@localhost) by homer29.u.washington.edu (8.9.3+UW00.05/8.9.3+UW99.09) with ESMTP id PAA114016 for ; Tue, 21 Nov 2000 15:27:33 -0800 Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2000 15:27:33 -0800 (PST) From: "K. Dalesky" To: uwtpride@u.washington.edu Subject: Fwd: It's official: gays do NOT harm armed forces (fwd) Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=X-UNKNOWN Content-Transfer-Encoding: QUOTED-PRINTABLE FYI... ***************************************************************************= * "If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun." =09=09=09=09 -Katharine Hepburn Karin Dalesky =20 University of Washington, Tacoma Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences =20 Phone: (253)692-5760 Fax: (253)692-5718 Mailbox: 358436 Email: karin@u.washington.edu ***************************************************************************= * ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Mon, 20 Nov 2000 19:38:23 -0800 (PST) From: Phil Bereano Reply-To: campusq@u.washington.edu To: University of Washington Queer Interest Group Subject: Fwd: It's official: gays do NOT harm armed forces=20 >The Observer, November 19, 2000 >119 Farringdon Rd., London EC1 3ER >(Fax: 0171 713 4250) (E-Mail: letters@guardian.co.uk ) >( http://www.newsunlimited.co.uk/observer ) >http://www.observer.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,6903,399798,00.html >It's official: gays do NOT harm forces >Six months on, confidential MoD report reveals no adverse effects on moral= e >or recruitment >Ben Summerskill, Society Editor > It was supposed to lead to the collapse of Britain's military might. >Faced with the prospect of gays in the armed forces, traditionalists warne= d >that discipline would be compromised and heterosexual heroes would be >outraged. > But 10 months after the ban on gay servicemen was lifted, the first >assessment of the consequences has found that the effect on morale has bee= n >non-existent. > A confidential Ministry of Defence Review, obtained by The Observer, >states that the introduction of gays has had no adverse effects on the >operational effectiveness of the forces. The startling conclusion will ca= use >serious embarrassment to service chiefs, who fought to retain the ban, and= to >the Conservative Party, which has pledged to consider its reintroduction. > MoD staff canvassed the Army, Navy and RAF in August, six months afte= r >the ban was lifted. 'The services reported that the revised policy on >homosexuality had no discernible impact, either positive or negative, on >recruitment,' says the report. > 'There is widespread acceptance of the new policy. It has not been a= n >issue of great debate. In fact, there has been a marked lack of reaction. >Generally there has been a mature, pragmatic approach which allowed the >policy to succeed. The change in policy has been hailed as a solid >achievement.' > The ban, which led to up to 200 sackings a year, was lifted in Januar= y >after the European Court of Human Rights ruled it unlawful. > The court awarded =A3400,000 compensation to four military personnel = who >claimed that their dismissal was a breach of rights to privacy and family >life. One, former navy Commander Duncan Lustig-Prean, was awarded =A3144,= 000. >Hundreds of other cases await settlement. > The MoD report has not been published in Britain, but a summary was s= ent >inadvertently three weeks ago to a military policy researcher at the >University of California. Aaron Belkin, assistant professor of politics a= t >the university, said: 'Looking at the situation from overseas, it appears >there was a full-scale rhetorical assault on gays in the military, prior t= o >this ban being lifted. This report from the MoD appears to admit that the >arguments put forward were absolutely and profoundly untrue.' > An MoD spokesman insisted: 'We are pleased. Generally people have ta= ken >a pragmatic view of the change. We had one policy that was right until >earlier this year. Now we have another.' > Angela Mason, director of the campaign group Stonewall, which backed = the >European Court cases, said: 'This report shows that the worst fears of som= e >politicians have come to nothing. > 'Opposition to gay law reform, whether over section 28, the age of >consent or military service, is repeatedly rooted in unrealistic fears of = the >consequences.' > At Rank Outsiders, the gay service organisation, chairman Steve Johns= ton >said: 'Most of those who objected strongly to this are old soldiers who we= re >just unenlightened. It's society that is changing quite rapidly. > 'We've had to deal with one or two minor complaints from gay personne= l >about their treatment this year, but they have been resolved swiftly. The >MoD has asked us to go straight to them with any cases of bullying and hav= e >assured us that they will be dealt with at the highest levels.' > Johnston, a former Military Police sergeant, said: 'Of the hundreds o= f >people we are in touch with, some have chosen to say nothing. They still = see >the way in which former colleagues were traumatised by their treatment. > 'The services are not just a job, they are a way of life, and some=20 > people >had all that taken away from them for no reason.' > The most senior officer readmitted to active service since the ban wa= s >overturned is Michael Griffiths, a naval lieutenant-commander dismissed in >1994. One Wiltshire-based army brigadier resigned last January, insisting >that he was protesting at the removal of the ban. However, he agreed to >continue serving until the end of 2001. > Prior to its removal, the ban on gay service personnel was last=20 > discussed >in Parliament in 1995. Defending it, Conservative Armed Services Minister >Nicholas Soames said that the services should not be 'bludgeoned out of th= e >esprit de corps that has won every war since 1812'. > An officer in The Parachute Regiment said yesterday: 'I've known of o= ne >case since the lifting of the ban where the lads have assumed someone to b= e >gay. He has been left alone and is doing well. Our key priority is >recruiting tough, fit, team players. We need as many as possible. This s= ex >thing has nothing whatsoever to do with their ability as soldiers. It >appears to be an obsession of armchair warriors.' > Turkey is the only Nato country to retain a blanket ban on gays in th= e >military. ************************************************ Philip L. Bereano Professor Department of Technical Communication College of Engineering Box 352195 University of Washington Seattle, Wash. 98195 phone: (206) 543-9037 fax: (206) 543-8858 *************************** .