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Gay group wants Pace's apology
13/03/2007 16:55 - (SA)
Washington - A gay advocacy group on Tuesday demanded an apology from the Pentagon's top general for calling homosexuality immoral.
In a newspaper interview on Monday, Marine General Peter Pace, chairperson of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had likened homosexuality to adultery and said the military should not condone it by allowing gays to serve openly in the armed forces.
"General Pace's comments are outrageous, insensitive and disrespectful to the 65 000 lesbian and gay troops now serving in our armed forces," said the advocacy group on its website.
Pace was responding to a question about the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that allows gays and lesbians to serve if they keep their sexual orientation private.
Pace said he supports the policy, which became law in 1994 and prohibits commanders from asking about a person's sexual orientation.
Pace said: "I believe homosexual acts between two individuals are immoral and that we should not condone immoral acts."
'Immoral behaviour'
Pace, a native of Brooklyn, New York, and a graduate of the US Naval Academy, said he based his views on his upbringing.
"As an individual, I would not want (acceptance of gay behaviour) to be our policy, just like I would not want it to be our policy that if we were to find out that so-and-so was sleeping with somebody else's wife, that we would just look the other way, which we do not. We prosecute that kind of immoral behaviour," he said.
The newspaper said Pace did not address concerns raised by a 2005 government audit that showed about 10 000 troops, including more than 50 specialists in Arabic, have been discharged because of the policy.
"Don't ask, don't tell" was passed by Congress in 1993 after a firestorm of debate in which advocates argued that allowing homosexuals to serve openly would hurt troop morale and recruitment and undermine the cohesion of combat units.
Democratic Rep Martin Meehan has introduced legislation to change the ban.
Meehan introduced a similar bill in 2005 that eventually attracted 122 co-sponsors.
John Shalikashvili, the retired Army general who was Joint Chiefs chairman when the policy was adopted, said in January that he has changed his mind on the issue since meeting with gay servicemen.
'Accepted by their peers'
Shalikashvili said: "These conversations showed me just how much the military has changed, and that gays and lesbians can be accepted by their peers."
He also cited a new Zogby poll of 545 US troops who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Three quarters said they were comfortable around gay men and lesbians; 37% opposed allowing gays to serve openly; 26% said they should be allowed, and 37% were unsure or neutral.
Of those who said they were certain that a member of their unit was gay or lesbian, two-thirds did not believe it hurt morale, according to the poll published in December.
On the net:
www.chicagotribune.com
www.sldn.org
- AP
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