5 Homosexuals Sue Over New Pentagon Policy
WASHINGTON — Risking their military careers, five gay and lesbian members of the armed forces--including two from Southern California--publicly revealed their sexual orientation when they filed suit Tuesday challenging a new Pentagon policy that automatically expels military personnel who disclose they are homosexuals.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court here, comes as Congress is moving ahead to codify a policy changing the status of homosexuals in the military. It marks the first time that the policy drafted by President Clinton and agreed to by two key congressional committees is being challenged as unconstitutional.
Their attorneys said that the restrictions against homosexuals in the military violate the rights of gays and lesbians to equal justice and free speech.
“American citizens should be judged according to their abilities, not their skin color, their gender or their sexual orientation,” said William R. Rubenstein, director of the ACLU’s national Lesbian and Gay Rights Project.
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