Two Generals and an Admiral publicly acknowledged their sexual orientation for the first time in last week's New York Times. The three officers are the highest-ranking military leaders to reveal they are gay.
BG Keith Kerr, CSMR (Ret.), BG Virgil A. Richard, USA (Ret.) and RADM Alan M. Steinman, USCG (Ret.) spoke out against the military's ban on lesbian, gay and bisexual service members. They said they hoped other officers would follow their lead.
They called on the Pentagon to curb anti-gay harassment. The officers said the policy damaged military readiness and the recruitment and retention of service members.
C. Dixon Osburn, executive director of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, praised them for their courage.
'This is a significant occasion for the military community,' Osburn said. 'As Col. Margarethe Cammermeyer, USA (Ret.), Ellen DeGeneres and Martina Navratilova tore down barriers in their respective fields, BG Kerr, BG Richard and Admiral Steinman provide similar inspiration for lesbian, gay and bisexual Americans serving our country. They provide irrefutable evidence that our community makes important, lasting contributions to our armed forces. Our nation should salute them for their service, their honesty and their courage.'
The three officers also joined 13 other retired senior military leaders in issuing a statement condemning the military's gay ban.
'There is one inescapable conclusion— 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' does not work and should be repealed,' they said in a statement to SLDN. The statement goes on to say that, 'Today, no credible evidence exists to support a continued ban. Indeed, all studies, including those commissioned by the Pentagon, have come to that conclusion.'
Those endorsing the statement include former Assistant Secretary of Defense Lawrence Korb; MG Vance Coleman, USA (Ret.) Capt. Mike Rankin, USNR (Ret.) Col. Eugene A. 'Andy' Leonard, USA (Ret.) MCPOCG Vincent W. Patton III, USCG (Ret.) RADM John Hutson, USN (Ret.) and Col . Margarethe Cammermeyer, USA (Ret.).
The Times story and statement comes on the 10th anniversary of the military's 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' ban, signed into law in 1993. In a statement to SLDN, former President Bill Clinton noted that 'Simply put, there is no evidence to support a ban on gays in the military.' Clinton said 'discrimination is unfair, and it unfairly restricts the talent pool available to the military—and that diminishes our security.'
Since the military's gay ban became law, nearly 10,000 men and women have been discharged. See www.sldn.org .