New England Gay, Lesbian & Bisexual Veterans, Inc.
John F. Kennedy Station
P O Box 6599
Boston, MA 02114
Cliff4vets@aol.com

November 20, 2000

President William Jefferson Clinton
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear President Clinton:

As bisexual, homosexual, heterosexual, lesbian and transgender military veterans, we write with utmost urgency to plead that you consider granting relief to servicemembers and veterans who have been victimized and discharged from the US Armed Forces due to their actual or perceived sexual orientation(s) -- before you leave office.

Since it is now beyond your authority to sign an Executive Order to repeal the current inhumane "Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Pursue, Don't Harass" military policy, we respectfully ask that you consider the following suggestions to grant the aforementioned relief: 

(1) As Commander in Chief of the U.S. Armed Forces, send a clear and forceful message to military superiors, that they are to refrain from arbitrarily applying the sodomy laws of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, (UCMJ) against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered servicemenbers -- which act in many cases as the lynch pin for discharge.

To this end, the preponderance of military evidence is clear that these same sodomy statutes are rarely enforced against heterosexual servicemembers -- yet are selectively enforced against GLBT servicemembers.

(2) Direct the Pentagon and Department of Defense to review and upgrade to "Honorable," ALL less-than-honorable discharges given to bisexual, homosexual, lesbian, transgendered, and accused heterosexual servicemembers. Also, review of these discharges should be retroactive to include all GLBTH veterans who have ever served in the US Armed Forces; and a program should be established to render outreach to those veterans affected.

(3) Vigorously prosecute all military superiors for any and all violations of the guidelines of the inhumane "Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Pursue, Don't Harass" military policy -- including murder!

(4) Strongly urge the U.S. Congress to enact a "Hate Crimes Act" to protect the lives of those who are assaulted, maimed and murdered due to their race, ethnicity, gender, religion or sexual orientation.

To this end, we need not look for further proof nor justification of the necessity for a "Hate Crimes Act", when we recall the brutal murders of: African American, James Byrd, dragged to death -by three white men -while chained to a pickup truck for no other reason than the color of his skin; Matthew Shepard, entrapped, pistol whipped, hung on a fence, and viscously murdered by two homophobic teenage thugs because he was gay; and the brutal murders of U.S. Navy Seaman Allen Schindler in Sasebo, Japan, on October 27, 1992, and of U.S. Army PFC. Barry Winchell at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, on Monday, July 5, 1999 - both murdered in cold blood by their fellow  servicemembers due to their actual or perceived sexual orientation(s).

Thus, Mr. President, now -- before you leave office -- is the time to help alleviate the unfounded ignorance and fear which has kept the Pentagon and Department of Defense from realizing that the personal sexual identities of servicemembers are not a threat to our Nation's security, military preparedness or cohesion.
 
Mr. President, this baseless policy -codified into law by the U.S. Congress and placed into effect on February 28, 1994 -is directly responsible for the pervasive, hostile atmosphere which led to the brutal and cowardly murders of US Army PFC. Barry Winchell and US Navy Seaman Allen Schindler; and has caused the discharge of approximately 5,000 servicemembers due solely to their sexual orientation(s), at a cost of approximately $200 million to American taxpayers.

However, the cost in terms of human suffering to the individuals discharged, their families, friends, loved ones, and our society -- is incalculable!
 
Also, the inhumane DA/DT/DP/DH policy has made women in the US Armed Forces particularly vulnerable to lesbian baiting, as Immoral male superiors have falsely accused many heterosexual women of being lesbians because they would not submit to sexual advances. In turn, superior officers and noncoms have had these women unjustly booted out of the military -- even those who were actually heterosexual and merely standing up to blatant extortion.
 
The fact is--as the late  Lt. Col. Cliff Anchor has pointed out (past Commander, American Legion Post #448, former President Bush appointee to Selective Service Board 10, and life member of the National Military Intelligence Officers Association) -- the greater threats to unit cohesion are the beatings, the lies, the hate-mongering, and events like the USS Iowa incident, when right-wing extremists in the military (NIS/NCIS) sought to frame even hetero sailors for the explosion, claiming they were gay.
 
Mr. President, in contrast to the mayhem created, and murders committed, under the DA/DT/DP/DH policy of the U.S. Armed Forces, we wish you to know of the many other countries in the world which do not refuse lesbians and gay men the right to serve in the armed forces: South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Israel, Germany, Canada, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Czech Republic and the Bahamas (despite the fact that homosexual conduct is illegal) - and just about all other NATO countries except Turkey, now admit gays into the military and have ceased discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation.

Hence, the United States military now has the unflattering distinction of being almost alone in failing to protect the human and civil rights--not special rights--of bisexual, homosexual, heterosexual, and transgendered servicemen and women in the US military.

Unfortunately, the US Armed Forces will continue to lose many honorable and educated gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered AND heterosexual servicemembers, due to the military's irrational discrimination based on actual or perceived sexual orientation.
 
Therefore, we implore you to end some of the pain and suffering visited upon our country's GLBT servicemembers and veterans, by binding the wounds and healing the lingering discrimination which divides our society, by granting relief via the aforementioned proposals.

Mr. President, in closing, please allow us to express our deepest gratitude to you for your historic and compassionate vision and courage, in helping to secure human and civil rights-not special rights-for all of God's gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered children. 
 
Should you wish to meet with our country's GLBT veterans’ leaders regarding these recommendations for relief -- we are at your service.
 
Sincerely and Respectfully Yours,

Cliff Arnesen
President

Member: Alexander Hamilton, American Legion Post 448
(1 0f 5)Co-Founders: Gay, Lesbian & Bisexual Veterans of America  
Board Member: National Bisexual Advisory Board
Member: National Blinded Veterans Auxiliary
Cliff4vets@aol.com
U.S. Army : (1965-1967)

Leo  Dorrington
Vice-President
P.O. Box  1667
Boston, MA.  02105-1667
Chaplain, VFW Post 529
Member: Alexander Hamilton, American Legion Post 448
MSG, U S Army Retired : (Gulf War Veteran)

Rick Buchanan
Secretary/Treasurer
(Korean War & Vietnam Veteran) : 1952-1960

Richard Kimball
Former US Navy Officer
5,000- Hour VA  Volunteer
Chapter Founding Member, Past Chapter Vice President,
and State Council Delegate, Vietnam Veterans of America
Member: American Legion, Chapter 76
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Chapter 15022

Janice Josephine Carney
[Severed as John Joesph Carney]
Disabled Vietnam Veteran
Life member DAV

Anna Manning
PO BOX 1946
Boston, MA 02205
Member of D.A.V.A. #13 Dorchester, MA
Secretary/Treasurer of the Differently Abled Parents Group
Former Secretay, New England GLB Veterans, Inc
U.S. Marine Corps