Gays

WASHINGTON - The Republican chairman of the House Armed Services Committee said Thursday that allowing gays to serve openly in the military is a settled issue that he will not try to reverse even if Mitt Romney wins the presidency in November and the GOP captures the Senate. Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon of California said his focus is on restoring money for the military after the latest round of defense cuts - a planned reduction of $487 billion over 10 years that could nearly double if Congress fails to avert automatic, across-the-board cuts that begin in January.

There are three points about the current furor about gays in the military that those given to keeping their heads while all about them are losing theirs will want to keep in mind. One is a constant in public reaction: To wit, you always hear from the antis before you hear from the pros. Anyone who has ever taken a controversial public stand knows that - the folks who disagree promptly set up a yowl, write letters to the editor, call their representatives and hold forth on the radio talk shows.

An unconventional thought for the week: City Councilman Francis W. Rafferty, who delights in railing against "queers" and "faggots," poses less of a threat to gay Philadelphians than Mayor Goode, who annually endorses the concept of "Gay and Lesbian Pride Month. " To understand my logic, you must return with me to my favorite childhood animated cartoon, circa 1948. The Pin-Cushion Man deals with the never-ending war between the gentle but vulnerable balloon people and their arch-enemy, the evil Pin-Cushion Man, who stalks the countryside popping helpless balloon folk with his seemingly endless supply of pins.

There could be more than 60,000 casualties of the Persian Gulf war that the majority of Americans will never hear about. Those casualties will be the gay men and lesbians who fought in the Middle East who could be ousted from the military if their sexual orientation becomes known. That these brave men and women face investigation, dishonorable discharge or even imprisonment after risking their lives for their country is a national disgrace. The controversy over gays and lesbians in the military is not new. But the recent deployment of troops to the gulf - an estimated 10 percent of whom are gay men or lesbians - and several recent well-publicized discharges of homosexuals in the military have raised the issue again.

Alexander the Great, some historians argue, was a homosexual. The same has been said of Richard the Lion-Hearted, Gen. Horatio Kitchener and Chinese Gordon. The highly decorated hidden homosexual is neither uncommon nor uniquely modern. Private sexual proclivities apparently have little to do with military skill. So if gays can be good soldiers, why not invite open homosexuals into the ranks? President Clinton has made clear the invitation will eventually be extended.

The Air Force is spending $20,000 to try to find out what its personnel think of homosexuals - and the prospect of serving alongside openly gay men and women after Bill Clinton takes office. Taxpayers are footing the cost, but the results will not be made public. The conclusions are "designed for internal Air Force use only," the service said in a statement yesterday. The Air Force also declined to release the questionnaire. "The Air Force is surveying its members to elicit their attitudes and opinions toward the current ban of known homosexuals in the military and proposed changes to that policy," the service said in a statement.

Calvin Roach (letter, June 10) writes about an "ancient principle that protects racial minorities. " But protection of racial minorities, where it exists, is as new as today's sunrise in terms of human history. Ancient principles, where they still rule, tend toward cruel exclusion and exploitation of minorities. Likewise Roach tries the fallacious argument that gay people are "increasing in their numbers," when the facts tell us that the number that is increasing is the number of gay people refusing to hide in denial, to marry into a lie with a heterosexual partner, to live a life of confusion and guilt.

When the history of this era is written, Sen. Sam Nunn will be remembered, only in passing, as a politician who tried to stop the inevitable. A posturing phony with a phony issue is neither remarkable nor memorable. In the latest double-cross of his president (with Democrats like these, who needs Republicans?), the senator from Georgia pushed through language that all but nullifies the compromise on gays in the military hammered out between the Clinton administration and the armed forces' top brass.

Doylestown Borough tonight could become the 17th municipality or county government in Pennsylvania to outlaw discrimination based on sexual preference or gender identity. The borough council is scheduled to vote on an ordinance that would protect gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) people from being discriminated against for housing, employment and public accommodations. The ordinance would also create a local Human Relations Commission to enforce the law and educate residents and business owners about discrimination issues.

There is surely a devastating satire to be made about rehab centers that endeavor to reprogram gays and send them happily back to the straight and narrow path of an allegedly "normal" life. Jamie Babbit's But I'm a Cheerleader is a clumsy piece of summer camp that wastes little time in proving that we are still waiting for the paint-peeling tirade this topic surely deserves. But I'm a Cheerleader brings us the predicament of Megan (Natasha Lyonne), a 17-year-old high school ingenue.