In September 1995, John Hoffman confidentially told his supervisor and longtime friend at the Air Reserve station in Willow Grove, Pa., that he is gay. In April 1996, the U.S. Air Force stripped Hoffman of his weekend military pay and his Reserve uniform and told him that, after an investigation, he would be discharged from the Reserves. Double jeopardy stuck hard as Hoffman lost his full-time civilian job as a mechanic on the same base.
Supposedly, the "don't ask, don't tell" policy warranted the Air Force's actions. The policy has once again proven to be an ineffective means of addressing the institutional biases of the U.S. military. President Clinton's three-year-old cop-out policy must change. It is ineffective and does not address the homophobia and unfounded biases that plague the armed forces. Witch-hunts for gays and lesbians in the military continue with the same fervor as before. Commanders still conduct or condone illegal searches and seizures of property belonging to soldiers suspected of being gay. Military servicepersons still feel threatened for being - or even suspected of being - gay or lesbian. Moreover, military officials still ask servicepersons questions to implicate their sexual preference - even though they may be sheathed under doublespeak and semantics.
Even if the military did have a legally legitimate reason to discharge Hoffman from his position in the Reserves, they had no authorization to dismiss him from his civilian post. Hoffman was guilty of one "crime:" having the same employer in both his military and civilian jobs.
Hoffman is currently suing to regain his civilian job. He believes that the U.S. Air Force discriminated against him and violated his civil rights. The case will be a test of how the U.S. Department of Defense can treat civilian employees who reveal their sexual orientation. The Pentagon currently has no policy prohibiting discrimination against civilian employees because of their sexual orientation. This situation must be immediately rectified - the Pentagon cannot be allowed to wallow in the false dogma of a previous generation. The Pentagon must formulate a policy to prevent discrimination against employees on the basis of their sexual orientation. If it fails to implement a just solution, Clinton, as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, should directly address the issue through an executive order.
Sexual orientation neither affects citizens' ability to serve their country as reservists, nor their ability to maintain C-130 transport planes. The Air Force never questioned Hoffman's work or quality of service before he admitted his sexual orientation.
Hoffman is a Persian Gulf War veteran; he has demonstrated the kind of dedication and courage that should characterize every U.S. military serviceperson. Hoffman's record of service is a testament to the fallacy of restricting gays from military service. The military's action against Hoffman as a reservist and a civilian is unconstitutional and abominable. One divulged secret has cost him his job, his service status and has irrevocably upset his life. The government owes him - and other servicepersons who must suffer in silence - more.