O.C. Gay Veterans Debate Meaning of New U.S. Policy

As he circled the room introducing himself Tuesday evening, the president of the Orange County/Long Beach chapter of the Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Veterans of America welcomed each person with the offer of a hug.

“Hugging another man might be considered sexual,” cautioned a 35-year-old Army veteran, his voice thick with cynicism. “I might get kicked out of the reserves for it,” he said, and the dog tags around his neck, imprinted with the slogan “Operation Lift the Ban,” clinked as the two embraced.

One day after President Clinton announced his compromise policy on homosexuals in the military, about 30 gay and lesbian veterans--from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines, the Korean War, Vietnam, Operation Desert Storm and the years in between--met at a church in Irvine to debate whether the change was a victory or defeat.

There was calm, pragmatic talk of political reality and the limits of presidential power. They placed blame on Clinton, military leaders and Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sam Nunn (D-Georgia). They exchanged radical, sarcastic talk of burning the Marine Corps flag and flooding recruiting offices with gay veterans wanting to re-enlist.

There were angry, raised voices, and there were choked-back tears.

“I can’t be as diplomatic as some people here have been. . . . I’m mad,” said former Marine Lisa Carr of Tustin, trying not to cry. “I’m proud of my life, of my lover.” All Clinton’s policy does is “perpetuate the shame we have to live with every day.”

“For the next five years, when I put a uniform on, one weekend a month and two weeks out of the year, I’ve got to watch what I do, and I don’t like it,” said the 35-year-old reservist, who asked that his name not be used for fear of retaliation.

The new U.S. policy bars military recruiters from asking about an applicant’s sexual orientation, and discourages the military from conducting investigations on the mere suspicion of an individual’s homosexuality. But the policy prohibits homosexual conduct by military personnel on or off duty.

Though the anger and weariness of the gay veterans at Tuesday’s meeting was obvious, many tried to stress the positive.

Six months of public debate over gays in the military has helped build a grass-roots coalition that can now tackle other issues, they pointed out. Witch hunts of gay soldiers would now be prohibited, some said, remembering sadly their days in the service, when threats and blackmail were common features of life in the barracks.

Those who praised Clinton’s action said the President acted to the limit of his capability, since homosexual conduct is prohibited by the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which can be amended only by Congress.

“I would have much preferred to come away thinking we won a great victory, but that’s not the way the political process works,” said Russ Calish, who served in the Navy during Vietnam. “I’m trying to put a happy face on this.”

Robert Whyte of Mission Viejo, who served in the Navy for six years and wore dog tags with the message “ACT UP, Fight AIDS” Tuesday night, pointed to the accomplishments of the campaign to lift the ban.

“No one can ever say again that there aren’t gays in Arlington Cemetery, that there aren’t gays” on the Vietnam Memorial wall, he said defiantly. “They can’t lie about that anymore. They can’t say this community doesn’t contribute.”

Added Peter Hultzen, an Air force veteran who lives in South Laguna: “We know wars aren’t won in a day. I think we need to regroup and go on.”

Many from the group plan to attend a rally scheduled tonight at 7 p.m. in front of the Marine Corps recruiting station at the corner of Katella Avenue and Euclid Street in Garden Grove.

As they discussed plans for tonight’s rally, Whyte again warned against total criticism of Clinton, the first White House ally many gays believe they have had in years.

“If you want to dismiss Clinton, fine, but then four years will be gone and we’ll get Bush back and we’ll have nothing,” Whyte said. “We won’t be talking about this, we’ll be talking about just the right to live.”

* JOINT CHIEFS DEFEND POLICY: Colin Powell fends off GOP criticism on policy on gays. A3