THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, August 5, 1995 TAG: 9508050304
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: KNIGHT-RIDDER NEWS SERVICE
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium: 55 lines
President Clinton ordered Friday that gays and lesbians no longer be considered security risks and that they be granted access to classified government documents on the same basis as other federal employees.
His directive puts an end to almost 50 years of official federal discrimination against homosexuals in government, although individual agencies had begun piecemeal reforms in recent years.
Advocates for homosexual rights said the order was long overdue.
``We all know that innumerable lesbians and gay men have served their country loyally and well throughout its history without betraying its trust or giving away secrets,'' said Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., who is openly homosexual. ``But, shamefully, until now, the federal government was unwilling to acknowledge this fact.''
Clinton's executive order came more than two years after the firestorm caused by his proposal for allowing open gays and lesbians in the military. The new order represents his biggest overture to gays and lesbians since that furor.
While the executive order is not expected to spark widespread opposition, it was criticized Friday by some conservatives.
``The Clinton administration has really given a moral slap in the face to American families,'' said Kristi Hamrick, spokeswoman for the Family Research Council, a conservative advocacy group. ``They are clearly trying to tell the American people that homosexuals are no different from heterosexuals, and their lifestyles are clearly different.''
Federal employees have been screened for trustworthiness and loyalty before winning clearance to see classified information since 1947, when growing Cold War tensions led President Harry S. Truman to issue an executive order setting standards for security clearances.
In 1953, a second order added ``sexual perversion'' as a basis for firing federal workers, and since then various agencies have used that standard to label homosexuals security risks.
One rationale was that federal employees who kept their homosexuality secret were vulnerable to blackmail threats from foreign agents. The agents could threaten the federal workers with exposure if they didn't cooperate.
Gay and lesbian activists have said that justification - if ever legitimate - is much less relevant today because more gays and lesbians are open about their sexuality.
In 1975, the Civil Service Commission issued guidelines prohibiting the denial of federal jobs to people on the basis of their sexual orientation. A study last March noted that eight federal agencies independently ceased using homosexuality as a reason to deny security clearances to their workers. by CNB