Gay sex immoral says US general
Gay rights groups in the US have complained after the country's top
military commander said he believed homosexual acts were "immoral".
Marine General Peter Pace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he
backed the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell" policy regarding homosexuality.
The policy bans homosexual acts between members of the military.
A gay rights group called the comments "a slap in the face to gay men and women
serving with honour and bravery".
Joe Solomonese, president of Human Rights Campaign, said: "What is
immoral is to weaken our national security because of personal
prejudices."
Discrimination claim
Under the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, introduced in 1994 to relax a
complete ban on gays, commanders are not allowed to enquire about the sexual
orientation of their personnel.
Soldiers, sailors and air force staff are not supposed to reveal their
homosexuality, and are banned from engaging in homosexual acts.
"I believe homosexual acts between two individuals are immoral and that we
should not condone immoral acts," Gen Pace told the Chicago Tribune.
"As an individual, I would not want [acceptance of gay behaviour] to be our
policy, just like I would not want it to be our policy that if we were to find
out that so-and-so was sleeping with somebody else's wife, that we would just
look the other way, which we do not. We prosecute that kind of immoral
behaviour," he said.
After the controversy broke out, Gen Pace issued a statement seeking to defuse
criticism.
He did not apologise but said he "should have focused more on my support of the
policy and less on my personal moral views".
Critics of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy say it is discriminatory
and also counterproductive - as it may undermine recruitment as the US
military is struggling to maintain forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.
A 2005 government audit said 10,000 troops, including
more than 50 specialists in Arabic, have been discharged because of the
policy.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6446815.stm
Published: 2007/03/14 03:20:33 GMT
© BBC MMVII
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