Group representing gays dismissed from military wants apology from Joint Chiefs chair
 A gay advocacy group is demanding an apology from the Pentagon's top general for recent comments the group deems disparaging.
"In a newspaper interview Monday, Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had likened homosexuality to adultery and said the military should not condone it by allowing gays to serve openly in the armed forces," Pauline Jelinek writes for the Associated Press.
The advocacy group seeking the apology, Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN)--which has legally represented servicemembers forced out of the military--released a statement on its website asserting that "General Pace's comments are outrageous, insensitive and disrespectful to the 65,000 lesbian and gay troops now serving in our armed forces."
Pace told The Chicago Tribune yesterday, in discussing his support for the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy, "I believe that homosexual acts between individuals are immoral and that we should not condone immoral acts."
A spokesperson for a gay rights group called Pace's comments "insulting and offensive to the men and women ... who are serving in the military honorably," writes Jelinek for the AP.
One of Pace's predecessors as Pentagon chief, Gen. John Shalikashvili (Ret.), recently called for the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, writing, "We must welcome the service of any American who is willing and able to do the job."
The full Associated Press article can be found at this link. The full SLDN press release, available at its official site, follows...
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Washington, DC – Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) today strongly condemned remarks by General Peter Pace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, calling lesbian and gay personnel "immoral." In an interview with The Chicago Tribune, Pace said that "I believe homosexual acts between two individuals are immoral and that we should not condone immoral acts." He went on to reiterate his support for "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" by saying that "I do not believe the United States is well served by a policy that says it is OK to be immoral in any way." SLDN demanded that General Pace apologize for his remarks.
"General Pace's comments are outrageous, insensitive and disrespectful to the 65,000 lesbian and gay troops now serving in our armed forces," said C. Dixon Osburn, the group's executive director. "Our men and women in uniform make tremendous sacrifices for our country, and deserve General Pace's praise, not his condemnation. As a Marine and a military leader, General Pace knows that prejudice should not dictate policy. It is inappropriate for the Chairman to condemn those who serve our country because of his own personal bias. He should immediately apologize for his remarks."
General Pace likened homosexuality to adultery, which he said was also immoral, The Tribune reported on its Web site. He also announced his opposition to Congressional legislation to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
The Williams Project at the University of California-Los Angeles estimates at least 65,000 lesbian and gay Americans are currently serving on active duty and the reserves. Another 1 million gay Americans, the group has estimated, are veterans of the armed forces.
"Regardless of one's opinion about 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' every service member deserves respect," said Osburn. "Secretary of Defense Gates should immediately condemn Pace's remarks. Their apologies should be swift and sincere."
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