Navy Demands that Gay Midshipman Pay $67,000
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MORE • Report on Don't Ask Don't Tell as Failed Policy • Pentagon Admits Harassment • More News & Notes |
Tommie Lee Watkins Jr., was president of the Class of 1998 and had been chosen to be the battalion commander for what would have been his senior year at the U.S. Naval Academy, one of the highest honors that can be awarded to a midshipman.
All Watkins ever wanted was to be a Naval pilot and with his admission to, and success at, the Naval Academy he was well on his way.
Unfortunately for Watkins, being one of the best is insufficient in today's Navy.
In the spring of 1997, the academy began investigating him in response to allegations of "homosexual behavior" and pressured Watkins to resign. Watkins did so, fearing that "homophobia" would prevent him from receiving a fair hearing.
Carolyn Becraft, assistant secretary of the Navy for manpower, ordered Watkins in March to repay the government after a three-year investigation including a review board's finding that Watkins is being treated unjustly compared with others kicked out for cheating and drug use.
The Board for Correction of Naval Records (BCNR), in a report obtained by The Washington Post, said Watkins is the victim of "error and injustice" and that making him reimburse the government violates Pentagon policy.
The BCNR is the Navy's highest personnel review panel and in its review noted that the Navy's handling of the Watkins case violates the 1994 Pentagon policy stating that individuals who are discharged for being gay should be subject to recoupment of costs only under certain situations that require a specific written finding of homosexual misconduct.
This is not an isolated incident, the Pentagon will often "seek reimbursement for educational expenses" from officer trainees who drop out or are expelled from their programs in their junior or senior years.
Those who do not have the cash, or choose to do so, and are not otherwise disqualified, are allowed to serve as an enlistee as an alternative to a cash repayment.
Unfortunately even this option does not exist for those who are discharged or resign in the face of allegations that they are gay or lesbian. The irony is not lost on those who would love to serve their country but are not allowed to do so.
Joseph Steffan, expelled from the academy shortly before his 1987 graduation after acknowledging that he was gay notes, "It's a particularly insidious twist to a policy which itself places so many burdens on people."
Regardless of the obvious and inherent lack of fairness, Watkins has been ordered to repay the government nearly $67,000 for his education.
Watkins plans to appeal to federal court, and believes that he is not only the victim of anti-gay prejudice but also racial discrimination. "I assert it is because I am an African-American homosexual," Watkins said.
We plan to keep an eye on his appeal and urge you to do so as well.
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