Lifting Ban on Gays in Military
Resistance to President-elect Clinton’s plan ending the ban on homosexuals in the military is hauntingly similar to resistance President Truman faced when he ended racial segregation of the armed forces more than 40 years ago. Just as Clinton is cautioned, Truman was engulfed with dire warnings of race riots and demoralization of white troops if blacks were given equal status in the military.
Ironically, one of the most visible beneficiaries of President Truman’s civil rights daring is black Gen. Colin Powell, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff whose equal opportunity allowed him to become a four-star general, and who opposes Clinton’s decision to ensure the rights of gays in the military.
PAT MURPHY
Paradise Valley, Ariz.
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