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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (June 6, 1997)
12 ▼ jun« 6 , 1 9 9 7 ▼ ju st o u t mmmmgm mmm national news A "no problem" problem ( flo w y o u 'll f e e ! J The Pentagon undertakes a stealth review of the implementation of “don’t ask, don’t tell” T by Bob Roehr T Oregon HotSpring Spas d /je one fr ie n d s reco m m en d . 7iend 333-0903 Portland 2 33 - 3 3 3 l Sa/em 363 - 400 0 PHOTO BY BOB ROEHR 7ietm er/on 643-3002 Portland's only independent noncommercial listener-sponsored community radio station. listen Tuesdays a t 6pm 92.7 Colombia fiorire SEE US FOR ALL YOUR COLLISION REPAIR NEEDS The Perfect Limousine for Every Occasion • • • • Limousines to accommodate up to 6, 8 or 10 passengers ChaufTeured vans and buses available for large groups Oregon wine tours arc our specialty Call Tiffany for your Commitment Ceremony, family cele brations, out-of-town guests and all special occasions Tiffany Limousine he Pentagon has quietly begun a for SLDN co-director Dixon Osbum welcomed mal review of the way the “don’t ask, the review “if it is carried out in a thorough and don’t tell” policy is being imple responsible manner.” He said he believes that mented. The review began on May 12 Secretary of Defense William Cohen feels a strong but was not made public until two commitment to the fair enforcement of a policy he days later, when the Washington Post printed helped a write while in the Senate. front-page article on the new study. The review “A month ago, Under Secretary of Defense will focus only on enforcement, not the merits of Edwin Dorn issued a policy memorandum that the policy itself. denounced lesbian baiting and anti-gay harass Frederick Pang, assistant secretary for Force ment, and set forth some guidance for command- Management, is leading the review. He is the Pentagon official who met one week before, on May 5, with rep resentatives of Gay, Les bian and Bisexual Veter ans of America. Pang did not mention the review at that meeting. The organization’s na tional president, James Darby, said the five-mem ber delegation turned quite a few heads in its journey through the mammoth five sided structure to that meet ing. “When we left we were just high off the ground; we felt so good because we got in.” “We told [Pang] that, although we realize we are James Darby, president o f Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Veterans o f stuck with it for a while, we America don’t like it one damn bit,” said Edward Clayton ers on what to do in these situations... so that they Jr., GLBVA vice president for public affairs, go after the person who makes a threat and not the referring to “don’t ask, don’t tell.” The delegation person who is threatened,” Osbum said. discussed violations of implementing the policy Osbum sees this as another step in the right which the Servicemembers Legal Defense Net direction, but said he would “like Secretary Cohen work has documented in annual reports. to put into writing what he has already stated The group was told that it was really too early publicly, that the pursuits should not continue. to discern trends in implementing the policy, but That has been our main point over the last three years.” There is reason for skepti cism. Last year the Pentagon conducted a review of the le gal aspects of “don’t ask, don’t tell” and found them sound. In the current review the Pentagon has not revealed exactly what is being stud ied, who is studying it, how it is being studied, or when the study will be finished. One astounding aspect of the Washington Post article ^ was the revelation that “Pen- § tagon authorities say they 3 have relied on SLDN’s an nual reports for problems to come to light. And this year’s report, they note, was the most detailed yet.” Edward Clayton Jr., GLBVA vice president for public affairs Osbum quipped. “If they are relying on our data, they better give us a Pang did say he believes that SLDN’s numbers showed that most of the discharges were occur contract so that we can get some money from them.” ring during basic training. He attributed that to the On a more serious note, the statement belies military no longer being able to screen out poten the mindset of Pentagon officials that with “don’t tial recruits by asking if they are gay. ask, don’t tell” they don’t have a problem: Be SLDN has long criticized the way the policy cause they don’t consider it a problem, don’t has been implemented. Each February for the past monitor it as a problem and don’t have any data on three years it has issued a report documenting a it as a problem, therefore it’s not a problem. growing number of discharges from the military on the basis of homosexuality. 285-2341