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New England Gay, Lesbian & Bisexual Veterans, Inc.
John F. Kennedy Station
P O Box 6599
Boston, MA 02114
Monday, January 1, 2001
President-Elect George W. Bush/Cheney Transition Headquarters
1800 G Street NW
Washington, DC 20270
Dear President-Elect George W. Bush:
As homosexual, bisexual, heterosexual, and transgendered military veterans,
we write with utmost urgency to plead that you consider granting relief to
homosexual, bisexual, heterosexual, and transgendered servicemembers and
veterans who have been victimized and discharged from the US Armed Forces
due to their actual or perceived sexual orientations.
Since the current "Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Pursue, Don't Harass"
military policy has been codified into law by the US Congress -- and can
only be countermanded by the U.S. Supreme Court or majority vote of the U.S.
Congress -- we respectfully ask that you consider the following requests to
grant the aforementioned relief:
(1) As Commander in Chief of the U.S. Armed Forces, send a clear and
forceful message to the Pentagon and military superiors, to refrain from
arbitrarily applying the sodomy laws of the Uniform Code of Military Justice
(Article 125) against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered
servicemembers -- which act in many cases as the lynch-pin for discharge.
The truth is, the preponderance of military evidence makes it quite clear
that these same sodomy statutes are rarely enforced against heterosexual
servicemembers.
To this end, the December 21, 2000 edition of the Army Times
reports that a new, independent panel will examine whether the 50 - year-old
Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) laws should be updated, at a yet
unscheduled public hearing to be held in the spring of 2001. The new panel
is called the Cox Commission after its chairman, Walter T. Cox, III, who,
until last year, was chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed
Forces.
We have written to Judge Cox regarding the arbitrary and selective
enforcement of the (UCMJ) sodomy laws against GLBT servicemembers,
requesting that he and the Cox Commission panel consider modifying or
abolishing the UCMJ sodomy laws when the Commission meets in the spring.
In response to our letter, Chairman, Walter T. Cox III replied with the
following comment:
In a message dated 12/29/00 8:05:30 AM,
judgecox@earthlink.net
writes:
"We will give your views careful consideration. Thank you for
your interest in the project."
Thus, Mr. President Elect, we wish for you to recommend the modification or
abolition of Article 125 of the (UCMJ) sodomy laws to Judge Cox, the Cox
Commission, the Pentagon and the Department of Defense.
Also, we strongly urge you to call upon your Secretary of the Department of
Veterans Affairs, to make expedicious and compassionate improvements in the
treatment of veterans with HIV and AIDS at Veterans Administration
hospitals.
(2) 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!
Mr. President-Elect, during the seven years that this inhumane policy has
been in effect, not one superior officer or non commissioned officer has
been criminally prosecuted for blatant violations of the guidelines of the
policy.
Violations which include superiors not held accountable on their watch for:
the brutal murders of U.S. Navy Seaman Allen Schindler and U.S. Army PFC.
Barry Winchell; the attempt by right-wing extremists in the military’s (NIS/NCIS)
to frame even heterosexual sailors- claiming they were gay- for the massive
explosion aboard the USS Iowa on APRIL 19, 1989 which killed 47 sailors ;
and the illegal procurement by Naval Intelligence which obtained
confidential information from America Online on former Navy veteran Tim
McVeigh --without a legal court order.
(3) 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.
(4) Put an end to efforts by the military to seek recoupment of expenses for
training from servicemembers who are discharged for being gay, lesbian,
bisexual and transgendered.
(5) 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 orientations.
Thus, Mr. President-Elect, 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 PFC Barry Winchell and Seaman Allen Schindler; and
has caused the discharge of 5,000 plus servicemembers due solely to their
sexual orientations, costing 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 ALL 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, mlitary superiors have had
these women unjustly booted out of the military--even though they were
actually heterosexual and merely standing up to blatant extortion.
Mr. President-Elect, 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 honorably in their 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,the Bahamas - 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 now has the unflattering distinction of being
almost alone in failing to protect the human and civil rights of bisexual,
homosexual, heterosexual and transgendered servicemen and women in the U.S.
military.
Unfortunately, the U.S. 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 granting relief via the
aforementioned proposals.
In conclusion, Mr. President- Elect Bush, please know that we pray that you
may understand that we seek only 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 members and 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
Former Medical Clerk, Department of Veterans Affairs
(1 0f 5) Co-Founders Gay, Lesbian & Bisexual Veterans of America
Board Member: National Bisexual Advisory Board
Member: National Blinded Veterans Auxiliary
E Mail:
Cliff4vets@aol.com
US Army : (1965-1967)
Leo Dorrington
Vice-President
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 Combat Veteran: (1952-1960)
Janice Josephine Carney
[severed as John Joesph Carney]
Disabled Vietnam Veteran
Life member DAV
transjan@mediaone.net
U.S. Army
Anna Manning
E Mail:
anna_gram@altavista.com
Member of D. A. V. A. #13 Dorchester, MA
Secretary/Treasurer of the Differently Abled Parents Group
Former Secretary, New England GLB Veterans, Inc.
U.S. Marine Corps
PO BOX 1946
Boston, MA 02205
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