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Portland Public Schools board members brace for another battle over
military recruiters by J o n a th a n Kipp
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n the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s
ruling allowing legal discrimination
against gay Boy Scouts of America lead
ers, the dehate over military recruiters in
Portlands public schools is resurfacing.
In 1995, the school board adopted two reso
lutions to deal with the controversy. One motion
banned from campuses any employer with dis
criminatory practices, and the other declared the
military such an employer. Military recruitment
on school property was banned as a result.'
Although other issues were raised at the tim^
that were critical of recruiters, including alleged
coercive practices, the ban was based solely on
the military’s discriminatory practices. Some
think the military still practices discrimination
against minorities and women, hut at issue was
the overt bias against sexual minorities—out
lined in the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.
Since then, the military has continued to
lobby the school district and twice has attempted
to regain access to public sc hex') Is in the City of
Roses through the Oregon Legislature. Although
unsuccessful thus far, the military continues to
apply pressure to board members. Now, some
schixd hoard members might want to reconsider
the district’s policy, sources say.
Board member Marc Abrams, who spear
headed the ban, says to overturn it, one of two
things would have to happen: a reversal of the
overall policy would have to be made, or the
military would have to prove it no longer dis
criminates. The latter is not a possibility,
Abrams says.
All indications point to a strict enforcement
of “don’t ask, don’t tell” and continued discrim
ination against homosexuals by the U.S. mili
tary. Since 1994, when the new policy went into
effect, discharges of gay military personnel have
increased significantly— from 617 in 1994 to
1,145 in 1998.
According to Defense Department docu
ments, “Congress expressly found that service by
those who have a propensity to engage in homo
sexual conduct creates an unacceptable risk to
moral, good order and discipline, and unit cohe
sion." But the military also says sexual orienta
tion is a personal and private matter that is not
a bar to service “unless manifested by homosex
ual conduct,” according to Abrams. Effectively,
homosexuals who remain abstinent during their
service would he in compliance with the policy.
But according to military statistics from the
Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines, an over
whelming majority of discharges are based on
statements rather than on homosexual acts. In
1998, only 154 of the 1,145 discharges were
based on homosexual acts.
Board member Susan Hagmeier says she will
support the ban if it comes to a vote because the
military is not an equal-opportunity employer.
“Allowing recruiters access to the captive audi
ence in the schools implies endorsement of dis
crimination,” she says.
Patricia Hollingsworth, who was one of the
primary petitioners for the ban in 1995, says
some new hoard members aren’t aware of all the
issues surrounding the controversy because they
didn’t hear the original testimony that led to the
decision. She objects to recruitment for many
reasons— most related to discrimination.
She says the military has no business being in
schools. “It’s just unthinkable to me."
Hollingsworth thought a ban would be
impossible, she says, until she met Abrams in
1995. She and others now intend to lobby new
50l3^ ^ s'com
Marc Abrams
hoard members about the entire issue.
The Oregonian called July 24 for the Portland
Public Schools board to stop banning military
recruiters. The editorial claimed the policy has
kept students from hearing about opportunities
for jobs, training and money and has been an
“unnecessary distraction for the board.”
Abrams disagrees and says The Oregonian
doesn’t know what it is talking about. Virtually
no time has been spent on the subject in the
past five years, he says.
Abrams says the issue was raised in August
1999 during a review of the Oregon National
Guard. He says the Guard ignores “don’t ask,
don’t tell,” so the board amended the policy and
let the Guard back into Portland’s schools.
“Two to three hours— tops,” Abrams says
about the time spent by the board. “At no time
has it distracted the school board from its duties.”
The Oregonian also called the board hypo
critical because it spent more than $55,000 to
keep the Boy Scouts in schools despite alleged
discriminatory practices. Why eliminate the
military but fight for the Scouts, they asked.
Despite what Abrams’ stance was then, he is
not mincing words now. “1 do not support the
Boy Scouts remaining,” he told Just Out.
But Abrams doesn’t expect the Scouts issue
to be brought up. “Frankly, with the uncertainty
with the military, I don’t think the current board
is ready to move on that,” he says.
The board would need four votes to overturn
the ban on military recruiters. At least two
members are said to be in favor of a repeal. O th
ers either are undecided and open to public
debate or do not want to address the issue any
time soon.
School hoard member Derry Jackson doesn’t
want the board to revisit the controversy at this
point. He wants to ftxus on other issues and
wants time to gather public comment about the
ban. “I have encouraged the board to delay con
sidering the question at this time so as to allow
the district to remain focused on a couple of key
and, in my humble opinion, more pressing mat
ters,” Jackson says.
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