Gay, Lesbian & Bisexual Veterans of America, Inc.
Just 43 days after a Pentagon meeting with officers of the Gay, Lesbian &
Bisexual Veterans of America, Inc. (GLBVA) in which the subject of the
UCMJ's sodomy clause and its eventual repeal was a topic of discussion,
Department of Defense officials once again find the subject at the
forefront of national attention. On Tuesday, June 17, Representative
Barney Frank (D-Mass.) introduced a bill to amend Title 10, United States
Code to provide that consensual sexual activity between adults shall not
be a violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
James C. Darby, GLBVA National President, responded to the introduction
of this legislation saying, "Some of the stories that have come out
of the Pentagon over the last month or so allude to the fact that changes
are being considered and I feel that our meetings with the Pentagon and
White House last month had a definite impact on what is being discussed at
this time. During our meetings with officials at both the Pentagon and
White House, we discussed the possibility of a repeal or modification of
Article 125 and in neither meeting was there an objection to the idea. We
commend Representative Barney Frank on his swift action and continued
support for the rights of all Americans in the Armed Services and we
whole-heatedly support him in this effort."
Representative Frank's Bill, cited as the 'Anti-Hypocrisy Act of 1997',
would amend Article 125 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice by adding
the word 'nonconsensual' to the article, thereby preserving the military's
ability to use this clause to prosecute servicemembers on the charge of
sodomy in cases involving rape and/or coercion. Further, it would amend
Articles 133 and 134, the 'General Articles' which are most often used at
the discretion of military commanders to charge servicmembers for adultery
and other acts considered to be indecent, would be amended to specifically
state that 'consensual acts of a sexual nature between adults that does
not involve compensation and cohabitation by adults shall not be the basis
for prosecution'.
"In the past this has been considered strictly a homosexual issue and
no one would have dared to introduce legislation to outlaw the policing of
servicemembers bedrooms", says Edward Clayton, National
Vice-President of Public Affairs for GLBVA. "But in recent weeks we
have seen this archaic regulation used just as arbitrarily against two
heterosexual servicemembers and now suddenly they are singing the same old
song we have been singing for years - It's just not right!".
GLBVA, Inc. is the only national non-profit organization
for gay, lesbian and bisexual active duty, reserve and veteran members of
the United States Armed Forces, their families, friends and supporters.
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