MAY 30, 2006 justputl«
claims he prayed about the issue before deciding
to step down.
School District 5 of Lexington & Richland
Counties posted the following message on its
Web site: “The principal of Irmo High School has
resigned, effective the end of the 2008-09 school
year, citing personal principles related to a request
to establish a Gay Straight Alliance club at the
school. Although the district regrets the princi
pal’s decision, attorneys have advised that the fed
eral Equal Access Act stipulates that if a school
has permitted the formation of any noncurricular
clubs, discrimination against the establishment of
a new club based on its purpose and viewpoint is
prohibited. Any noncurricular club must be al
lowed to form, provided the club is lawful.”
WASHINGTON
Court Rules for Dismissed
Gay Air Force Major
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Cir
cuit reinstated a lawsuit May 21 challenging the
dismissal of Maj. Margaret Witt, a decorated U.S.
Air Force flight nurse, on grounds that she engaged
in homosexual conduct. The American Civil Lib
erties Union is representing her in appealing a low
er court ruling that rejected the suit in July 2006.
The Court of Appeals ruled that the Air Force
must prove that discharging Witt is necessary for
purposes of military readiness. While the ruling
leaves in place the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell”
policy, the court found that before discharging a
soldier, the military must prove that the individ
ual’s conduct actually hurt morale or jeopardized
another government interest. The case has been
remanded to federal district court in Tacoma to
consider the case under the appellate court’s stan
dard of review.
“Maj. Margaret Witt has been an exemplary
member of the military with a distinguished re
cord of service. To discharge her simply because
of her sexual orientation is unfair to her and also
is unwise for the military, which needs her skills,”
said Kathleen Taylor, ACLU of Washington ex
ecutive director.
A 1986 graduate of Pacific Lutheran Univer
sity, Witt is a flight nurse and operating room
nurse assigned to McChord Air Force Base near
Tacoma. During her 19-year career in the Air
Force, she has served in the Persian Gulf, has re
ceived many medals and commendations and has
always had superb evaluations from her superiors.
In 1993 she was selected to be the “poster child”
for the Air Force Nurse Corps recruitment flier.
From 1997 to 2003, Witt
was in a committed relation
ship with another woman,
a civilian. In the summer
of 2004, Witt was notified
that the Air Force had be
gun an investigation into an
allegation that she had en
gaged in homosexual con
duct. In November 2004, she
was placed on unpaid leave
and told she could no longer
participate in any military
duties, pending formal separa
tion proceedings.
In March 2006, the Air
Force informed Witt that she
was being administratively
discharged on grounds of ho
mosexual conduct. The law
suit seeks to reverse the deci
sion and to prevent the Air
Force from otherwise hamper
ing her military career.
U.S. Air Force Maj. Margaret Wrtt scored a victory for gays in the
military when a lawsuit challenging her dismissal for being
lesbian was reinstated May 21.
Compiled by J aymee R. C uti
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