If nothing else, the pressure to hold up the promotion of Maj. Gen. Robert T. Clark to lieutenant general and commander of the Fifth Army, over charges that he ignored persistent anti-gay harassment on a base where a fatal gay bashing occurred in 1999, sends a strong message to the military. As the Washington Blade reports:
Gay groups have said Clark's inattention to anti-gay harassment at the base contributed to an atmosphere that led to the gay-bashing death of Pfc. Barry Winchell, 21. -- [The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network] has pointed to witnesses who testified"that Winchell had been subjected to anti-gay taunts and threats on the base for several months prior to the attack that led to his death. The witnesses testified that officers in charge of Winchell's unit failed to take steps to stop the harassment and that Clark should have intervened to address the harassment problem.
Clark will most likely get his promotion, but the months-long delay should put other military commanders on notice: tolerating attacks against gay servicemembers can be a bad career move.
[Update: On Nov. 18 the Seante approved Gen. Clark's promotion, but the vote represented (in the words of the Washington Blade) "a break from a longstanding Senate tradition of approving promotions for military officers by unanimous consent, without debate." Said an SLDN spokesperson, "Despite the disappointing vote, it's reassuring that we had an historic debate holding Gen. Clark accountable for his actions."]
Meanwhile, the rabidly anti-gay Traditional Values Coalition is
running this delightful little piece on its website, Exposed: The Truth
About Pfc. Barry Winchell. Could the culture wars get any
uglier?