Military recruiters told they can accept openly gay applicants
HELL IS FREEZING OVER!
From Adam Levine, CNN
October 19, 2010 4:05 p.m. EDT
Military recruiters have been told to accept openly gay applicants to the U.S. Armed Forces.
Military recruiters have been told to accept openly gay applicants to the U.S. Armed Forces.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
* A federal judge ruled last month that the "don't ask, don't tell" police is unconstitutional
* That judge last week issued an injunction ordering the military to stop enforcing the policy
* The government is appealing the judge's ruling
* The Pentagon says given the ruling, recruiters can accept gay and lesbian candidates
Washington (CNN) -- The Pentagon has advised recruiting commands that they can accept openly gay and lesbian recruit candidates, given the recent federal court decision that bars the military from expelling openly gay service members, according to a Pentagon spokeswoman.
The guidance from the Personnel and Readiness office was sent to recruiting commands on Friday, according to spokeswoman Cynthia Smith.
The recruiters were told that if a candidate admits he or she is openly gay, and qualify under normal recruiting guidelines, their application can be processed. Recruiters are not allowed to ask candidates if they are gay as part of the application process.
The notice also reminded recruiters that they have to "manage expectations" of applicants by informing them that a reversal of the court decision might occur, whereby the "don't ask, don't tell" policy could be reinstated, Smith said.
Federal Judge Virginia Phillips in California is expected to decide Tuesday whether she will stay her injunction against "don't ask, don't tell" at the request of the government, which is appealing her ruling.
Video: Pentagon gives OK to gay recruits
RELATED TOPICS
* LGBT Issues
* Don't Ask, Don't Tell
* The Pentagon
* Military and Defense Policy
Phillips, who ruled in September that the policy is unconstitutional, indicated in court on Monday she is unlikely to stay her ruling, in which case the government will ask the appeals court to do so.
Groups representing gays and lesbians have warned against coming out to the military because the policy is still being appealed in courts.
One group, the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, sent a statement out Tuesday reiterating the concern.
"During this interim period of uncertainty, service members must not come out and recruits should use caution if choosing to sign up," said SLDN Executive Director Aubrey Sarvis in the statement. "The bottom line: if you come out now, it can be used against you in the future by the Pentagon."
AI
