Topic: Pol Skewers U.S. Policy On Gays

Long Island Newsday
February 8, 2007
By Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Rep. Gary Ackerman jokingly suggested yesterday that the Bush administration may fear a "platoon of lesbians" more than terrorists in Baghdad, given the military's policy toward gays and lesbians.
Ackerman's criticism of Pentagon policy came during Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
He complained to Rice that the military had fired Arabic and Farsi translators after learning they were gay.
"For some reason, the military seems more afraid of gay people than they are against terrorists. They're very brave with the terrorists, and if the terrorists ever got a hold of this information, they get a platoon of lesbians to chase us out of Baghdad," said Ackerman, prompting laughter in the room.
The lawmaker, who in 2002 voted for the invasion of Iraq but is now a fierce opponent of the war, made one other crack, too, in reference to the Bush administration's opposition to gay marriage.
Ackerman (D-Jamaica Estates) suggested the Department of State could hire dozens of outed - and ousted - former military translators.
"Can we marry up these two - or maybe that's not the right word. ... Can we have some kind of union of those two issues?" he asked, prompting a fresh outburst of laughter.
The Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights group, said Ackerman was right to criticize the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. "It is clear the congressman was underscoring the ridiculousness of the ... policy and how it's hurting our efforts to fight the war on terror," spokesman Luis Vizcaino said.