Nine members of Congress have urged Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to revise a Pentagon directive that classifies homosexuality as a mental disorder alongside conditions such as mental retardation and personality disorders. The directive, numbered 1332.38 and dating to November 1996, was recertified as current in 2003, according to researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Representative Marty Meehan of Massachusetts said the classification had no scientific foundation and called it "motivated by something more sinister." The American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from its list of disorders more than 30 years ago. A Pentagon spokesman said the document is under review.
The lawmakers also requested a broader examination of military policies on the matter. They estimated that roughly 65,000 gay and bisexual individuals currently serve in the armed forces. Under the "don't ask, don't tell" policy in place since 1993, service members may remain in uniform only if they keep their sexual orientation private.
A congressional watchdog report from the previous year found that the Army spent approximately 200 million dollars over 10 years replacing an estimated 10,000 gay soldiers who were discharged.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in June 2006, in its own words.