Gay Naval Cadet Ordered to Repay Training Costs After Quitting

A high-ranking midshipman who resigned from the U.S. Naval Academy after he was accused of homosexual activity has been ordered to repay the government nearly $67,000 for his education, despite a review board’s finding that he is being treated unjustly compared to others kicked out for cheating or drug use.

Tommie Lee Watkins Jr., an aspiring Navy pilot from Alabama, was president of the Class of 1998 and had been chosen for the prestigious position of battalion commander in what was to have been his senior year.

But in the spring of 1997, the academy began investigating him for allegations of homosexual behavior, which is prohibited in the military. Watkins said that academy officials pressured him to resign and that he did so, fearing that “homophobia” would prevent him from getting a fair hearing.

The Board for Correction of Naval Records, in a report obtained by the Washington Post, said Watkins is the victim of “error and injustice” and that making him reimburse the government violates Pentagon policy.

His case spotlights the Pentagon’s often-controversial practice of requiring officer trainees who drop out or are expelled from their programs in their junior or senior years to repay the government for their education, either in cash or through enlisted service. Some have managed to avoid the debt, causing others to accuse the Pentagon of favoritism.

Watkins, 25, who plans to appeal to federal court, said he is the victim of anti-gay prejudice and racial discrimination. “I assert it is because I am an African American homosexual,” Watkins said.