The U.S. government has
issued an apology to longtime gay activist Frank Kameny, who
was fired by the United States Civil Service Commission 52
years ago.
The U.S. government has
issued an apology to longtime
gay activist Frank Kameny
, who was fired by the United States Civil Service Commission
52 years ago.
John Berry, director of
the Office of Personnel Management, spoke to Kameny Wednesday
at a ceremony, calling his firing "a shameful
action." The civil service commission (OPM's
predecessor) terminated Kameny by letter, writing that
the government "does not hire homosexuals," nor did
it "permit their employment," since the information
could be used against them in blackmail. He was an astronomer
for the Army Map Service.
"With the fervent
passion of a true patriot, you did not resign yourself to your
fate or quietly endure this wrong," Berry said. "With
courage and strength, you fought back. And so today, I am
writing to advise you that this policy, which was at odds with
the bedrock principles underlying the merit-based civil
service, has been repudiated by the United States Government,
due in large part to your determination and life's work,
and to the thousands of Americans whose advocacy your words
have inspired."
Kameny, a World War II
veteran, had been involved with the federal government since he
became an adult.
"I enlisted in the
Army three days before my 18th birthday," he told
The Advocate
in 1997. "They did ask, and I didn't tell. They asked
whether I had 'homosexual tendencies,' and I was well
aware that I did and it had gone well beyond tendencies. But I
said no, and I have resented for 64 years that I had to lie in
order to serve my country. All the major issues I dealt with
over the years have been resolved except for gays in the
military."
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