POINT MUGU : Gay Rights Activist Files Complaint

A civilian Point Mugu worker who says he was penalized for openly advocating a repeal of the ban on homosexuals in the military filed a complaint against the Navy on Thursday.

Tom Swann, 34, a gay rights activist and former Marine who reviews missile contracts at Point Mugu Naval Air Warfare Center, said that at his request, he was moved to a different department last summer after being assaulted, threatened and harassed by a co-worker.

Swann, who is gay, reported the alleged assault to base police, but an investigation was inconclusive, according to Alan Friel of the American Civil Liberties Union, which is representing Swann in his complaint against the Navy.

The incident caused “fear and anguish” and led Swann to seek counseling, Friel said.

Later, his superiors became angry with him when he openly supported lifting the gay ban, and in January he was returned to his former post, where the co-worker who harassed him is still employed, Friel said.

The Defense Department has no policy on gay and lesbian civilian employees of the military, but since 1982, it has held that homosexuality is incompatible with military service.

According to the complaint, Swann said that since being transferred back to his old job, he has been stripped of most of his duties and relegated to menial tasks like moving boxes.

Ed Kutchma, one of Swann’s superiors, said he could not comment on the complaint. “When the facts are brought to light, it will be shown that obviously there are two sides to every story,” Kutchma said. “But right now, we can’t say anything more than that.”

The complaint was filed with the Merit System Protection Board in Washington, Friel said. The Navy has 15 days to respond to the complaint, he said.