Probe Is Urged of White House Incident Seen as Insulting to Gays

A spokeswoman for President Clinton expressed outrage Wednesday over reports that members of the uniformed division of the Secret Service donned rubber gloves before shaking hands with gay elected leaders who attended a meeting at the White House this week.

The Treasury Department, which oversees the Secret Service, has been asked to look into the incident, the White House said.

“The actions of the individuals involved were totally inappropriate and insulting,” said Patricia (Patsy) Fleming, White House AIDS policy adviser. “They were in violation of White House policy. This incident shows the lack of knowledge of HIV transmission.”

The incident occurred Tuesday before a meeting of White House officials and gay leaders that had been organized to soothe relations between the two groups--strained since the Administration’s recent decision to stay out of a Supreme Court case on gay rights.

Several members of the Secret Service’s uniformed division posted at the entrance to the Old Executive Office Building--where the meeting took place--apparently wore gloves while checking in the visitors. The uniformed division is a separate unit from the one that protects the President.

The 40 visitors included state senators and representatives, city council members, judges and other elected officials. Tom Ammiano, a member of the San Francisco board of supervisors, later complained to the White House staff, Fleming’s office said.

The virus that causes AIDS is not known to be transmitted by casual contact. It is most commonly passed on through tainted blood, sexual intercourse or the sharing of contaminated needles by intravenous drug users.

“It’s a real disconnect that the same day the President announces a new budget that will protect AIDS and Medicaid programs that members of the rank-and-file White House security staff don’t have a clue as to how to deal with individuals living with this disease,” said Christine Lubinski, deputy director of AIDS Action Council.

“It’s safe to say the chief of staff and others were distressed by that and believe it to be an error of judgment,” White House Press Secretary Mike McCurry said.

McCurry said White House Chief of Staff Leon E. Panetta has asked Treasury Secretary Robert E. Rubin to look into the incident. “The chief of staff has directed Treasury to investigate what happened, why it happened--and make sure it doesn’t happen again,” an official in Fleming’s office said.

McCurry said the incident did not affect the tone of the meeting, which he said was “very good and established a basis for further discussions.”

At the meeting, White House officials told the group that Clinton had named Marsha Scott, a deputy assistant to the President, as White House liaison officer on gay and lesbian issues. The White House also was prepared to name a new council to advise Clinton on issues stemming from AIDS.

Jeff Horton, a Los Angeles Board of Education member who attended the meeting, expressed dismay Wednesday that the glove incident overshadows the fact that a group of openly gay elected officials had met with two Cabinet members and other Administration officials.

“This is real step forward,” Horton said. He called the wearing of rubber gloves “a minor embarrassment, but the Administration didn’t do it.”

The Secret Service obviously needs training on AIDS and HIV, Horton added. “But it doesn’t overshadow the substance of this story: that this Administration has done what no other has done and what none of the alternatives we might get next year would do.”

Times staff writer Bettina Boxall in Los Angeles contributed to this story.