Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, January 30, 1993 TAG: 9301300043
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
CLINTON MAKES A MOVE
President Clinton took the first steps toward revoking the ban on homosexuals in the military Friday, throwing his administration into a risky battle with Congress and sharpening a national debate over gay rights.After intense negotiations to strike a compromise with Democratic leaders, Clinton announced he was ordering the drafting of a formal order by July 15 to revoke the ban.
In the meantime, he said, military recruits no longer will be asked about their sexual orientation - in effect letting them enlist if they do not openly declare their status. Yet, members of the armed forces who declare they are homosexuals will be subject to discharge proceedings.
"This is a dramatic step forward," Clinton said at brief news conference at the White House. "Normally in the history of civil rights advancements, presidents have not necessarily been in the forefront in the beginning."
Republicans denounced Clinton's action and promised to fight it. Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell said he believed he had the votes to defeat the President's proposal.
Gen. Colin Powell, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Clinton "has given us a direction to move in, and we are going to be moving in that direction." He declined to restate the chiefs' opposition to the ban.
Sen. Sam Nunn, D-Ga., the influential chairman of the Armed Services Committee, extracted major concessions from Clinton about how to treat homosexuals already in the military. And he said he still opposes lifting the ban.
"I don't have any present intention of changing my mind," Nunn said. However, he agreed not to vote for legislation concerning the ban until after he holds extensive hearings on gays in the military.
The administration could modify its plans further to gain more support for lifting the ban.
A senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Clinton was open to the idea of barring gays from combat, sea duty and other close quarters if senior Pentagon officials felt that was necessary to maintain military effectiveness.
Gay rights groups praised Clinton's resolve even while expressing disappointment that political pressures allowed only halfway steps.
His action came one day after a federal judge in California ruled that the military's ban on homosexuals was unconstitutional.
Clinton said the ruling "strengthens my hand" to admit acknowledged homosexuals to the military.
The president's action fell far short of his promise to eliminate the ban. Faced with opposition from the Pentagon and Republicans, and divisions within his own party, Clinton deemed it was as far as he could go.
"This compromise is not everything I would have hoped for or everything that I have stood for but it is plainly a substantial step in the right direction," Clinton said.