KTLA News: "Navy to discharge 19 women based on alleged sexual orientation" (1980)

well for me I think the fact that in this day and age a group of people are being singled out for this kind of treatment um it's it smacks of the old pilgrims that used to go down against the Jewish people in uh in Eastern Europe where people come in and on the basis of hearsay evidence and whatnot you single them out you destroy their lives you ruin their careers and I think the real issue here is the Navy policy involved in allowing this to happen Southern California on my left is Susan McGreevy e i vation appears to have started around May the 15th when some officers um three naval Investigative Services officers by the name of Paige Stevens and Edge went on board the ship to make an investigation about two stabbings which had taken place on the ship um this is speculation apparently they were told that somebody that there were some lesbians on board the ship and what were they going to do about it in any event an investigation according to the Navy's press release went forward relative to 24 women what we do know is that the way you got your name on that list was that several Sailors on the ship were given a manifest that is a list of all of the women Sailors on the ship and told to check put a check next to the person who they thought would be was a homosexual whoever they thought was a homosexual and that's how you they apparently got caught up in this investigation um we don't know all of the people that checked that list the one person we do know who who checked the list said that when she received it um there were already red checks on on the list she apparently did check um at that point somewhere around the 27th 28th and 29th of May these 24 TW know that 19 of them eventually received these papers which uh indicated that they were for that they are willing to attend a press conference when they told the Navy that they were willing to see the Press they were told that if they did so it would be a violation of the uniform code of military Justice and that they could be prosecuted for that and so until the Navy apparent makes a decision to allow them to speak to the Press um there's really nothing that that the Press they're not available to the press the president of the uh CH steps you're planning to take um at this point the American civil liberties Union is planning to go into federal court to um to try to obtain uh a temporary restraining order prohibiting there being processed processed out of the service until the Constitutional issues in question are adjudicated by by the court when you plan to do that as soon as we can get the paperwork work together which I would presume will be between Wednesday and Friday of next week I think there's a step in between however I think hearing board all they're saying is that they've been they have com they are unsuitable for the service because of homosexual acts and navy regulations say that if this is not a charge and they can just have the paperwork started and be processed out are any of the women so I think they're playing semantic games with us are any of the women involved uh have they been in the service longer than the eight years so that another kind of one of them has been in the service over eight years um what they she's been in the Air Force in the reserves and the Navy is saying that it's eight consecutive years our reading of the bu Pur manuals is that she is entitled to a hearing even though her time in the service is not consecutive and I have so advised her that she's that we know we are we are stating that she categorically at least among them and for those of you um an officer of the USS Norton sound Fleet post office fpo San Francisco California AV and then some other language I don't know two blank subject admin administrative SE 19 of these all right you are informed that actually came out by the courts within the last 5 or seven years as being unconstitutional on three three occasions and a regulation which is very similar to this regulation was was thrown out three weeks ago in Milwaukee and I think that's one of the really irritating things is that the Navy does not appear to be listening to the courts in this issue all right you aren't uh as of January 2019 C to recommend you for administrative separation from the naval service by reason of unsuitability this action is being taken because of participation in homosexual acts they're not even charging them with Tendencies they're charging them with acts okay you are afforded the opportunity to request or wave any or all the following privileges in writing this is what they are entitled to to be represented by councel a lawyer within the meaning of article 7 B uniform code of military Justice B to submit a statement in your own behalf and C to wave the above thing you want to come out of this news conference I think it's time for the White House and for the Navy to look at it um I think this business of mass um queer hunting on the part of NAB investigative service which has a whole division which is funded by taxpayers dollars to do nothing but queer hunt um I don't know what amount but it certainly would be nice for the press to find out for us um how much money is spent on this every year they open people's letters the the waste of human Talent is unbelievable to me and it's time for this to stop and it won't stop until the public says we've had enough Mr you said are protecting security and morale but they're not talking about only job performance read the Shalom case I would like to read you it