Human Rights Group Condemns Military's Gay Ban; Ban Called Violation Of Basic International Human Rights

1/23/2003

From: Steve Ralls of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, 202-328-3244, ext. 116, sralls@sldn.org

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 -- In a report released today, the international human rights group Human Rights Watch (http://www.hrw.org) calls on Congress to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the military's ban on lesbian, gay and bisexual service members. HRW is known for its human rights work across the globe. Its report concludes that "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is a serious abuse of human rights on the global stage. In addition to calling for repeal of the military's "Don't Ask, Don' Tell" policy, the report also calls for:

-- accountability for those who harass, or condone, anti-gay harassment; -- the creation of safe, confidential venues for reporting anti-gay harassment; and -- repeal of the military's sodomy statute.

C. Dixon Osburn, executive director of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), praised the report. "SLDN applauds Human Rights Watch for their bold, insightful report," Osburn said. "We join them in calling on President Bush and Congressional leaders to lift the ban. Turkey and the United States are the only two NATO allies who continue to exclude gays from military service. Thirteen U.S. allies have deployed more than 15,000 troops for Operation Enduring Freedom. They each allow lesbian, gay and bisexual citizens to serve."

HRW's report provides in-depth analysis on the history of the Pentagon's gay ban, the anti-gay environment perpetuated by those bans and the history of the ban in the nation's court system. "While many strictures of military life are reasonable or necessary," the report finds, "the codification of anti-gay prejudice is not." In light of recent military mobilizations where American forces fought alongside openly gay service members from allied nations, Human Rights Watch finds that the United States "remains adamant against recognizing the fundamental rights of the homosexuals who volunteer to fight, and die, for their country."

The report states that "(T)he U.S. armed forces remains a bastion of discrimination and intolerance against persons who are not heterosexual." The report also cites voluminous accounts of anti-gay abuse, death threats and discrimination in the nation's military. "U.S. officials," the report says, "are well aware of the harassment that has flourished under (Don't Ask, Don't Tell)."

SLDN and Human Rights Watch have called on Pentagon leaders to implement an Anti-Harassment Action Plan, adopted in 2000. The plan, which includes 13 recommendations for curbing anti-gay harassment, has never been implemented. "Adoption of the plan would send a strong message that abuses such as those identified in today's report will not be tolerated by our military leaders," said Osburn.

In the long-run, however, both SLDN and Human Rights Watch believe the groups' substantial research on the impact of federally sanctioned discrimination show that repeal of the gay ban is past due.

"This report includes a decade's worth of evidence against anti-gay discrimination in our armed forces," Osburn said, referring to the tenth anniversary of the current ban's implementation, which occurs this year. "As Human Rights Watch has so carefully documented, the time has come to repeal this discriminatory, anti-American policy of exclusion. Our nation is best served when the talents of every American are welcome at the Pentagon's table."

Copies of the report are available online at http://www.hrw.org.

------ Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (http://www.sldn.org) is a national, non-profit legal services, watchdog and policy organization dedicated to ending discrimination against and harassment of military personnel affected by Don't Ask, Don't Tell and related forms of intolerance.