Congressman skewers U.S. policy with "platoon of lesbians" remark

A New York congressman on Wednesday jokingly suggested the Bush administration may fear a ''platoon of lesbians'' more than terrorists in Baghdad, given the military's resistance to letting gays serve openly.

Rep. Gary Ackerman's criticism of Pentagon policy came as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Ackerman, a New York City Democrat, complained to Rice that the military had fired Arabic and Farsi translators after learning the translators were gay.

''For some reason, the military seems more afraid of gay people than they are against terrorists. They're very brave with the terrorists, and if the terrorists ever got ahold of this information, they'd get a platoon of lesbians to chase us out of Baghdad,'' said Ackerman, prompting laughter in the hearing room.

The lawmaker, who in 2002 voted for the invasion of Iraq but is now a fierce opponent of the war, made one other crack too, this time in reference to the Bush administration's opposition to same-sex marriage.

Ackerman suggested the State Department could hire dozens of outed—and ousted—former military translators.

''Can we marry up these two—or maybe that's not the right word.... Can we have some kind of union of those two issues?'' Ackerman asked, prompting a fresh outburst of laughter.

Rice, in diplomatic fashion, played it cool.

''Congressman, I'm not aware of the availability of people, but I will certainly look,'' she said, adding that her department has quadrupled the number of employees in critical languages.

Officials with the national gay rights group Human Rights Campaig, said Ackerman was right to criticize the military's policy of ''don't ask, don't tell'' concerning gays.

''It is clear the congressman was underscoring the ridiculousness of the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy and how it's hurting our efforts to fight the war on terror,'' said HRC spokesman Luis Vizcaino. (AP)

Reader Comments

These comments are reproduced as written by visitors to this Web site. They have not been edited for content, grammar, or spelling. The viewpoints appearing here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or views of advocate.com, The Advocate, or its affiliates.

Be the first to comment on this story.

If you would like to submit a comment for posting, please fill out the form above.

All comments submitted via this form are subject to posting or publication. (To send a private letter to an Advocate editor or writer, please use the e-mail button at the top of the page, or use snail mail.) If you would like your comment considered for publication in The Advocate magazine, please include your full name, your city of residence, and a phone number where you can be reached during business hours so that we can confirm your identity. Your e-mail address and telephone number are strictly confidential and will not be shared or used for any purpose other than to contact you about your comment.

See the Contact page for sending comments for reasons other than responding to Advocate editorial and news stories.

Please note that comments sent by fax or snail mail are unlikely to be posted, although they will be considered for publication along with all letters received via e-mail or via this Web page. Comments that chiefly concern Advocate.com content will be considered for posting only on the Web site. The Advocate reserves the right to edit submitted comments for grammar, spelling, obscenities, or libel; we will, however, do our best to preserve the original comment's style and intent. Comments considered for publication in The Advocate magazine may also be edited for length.

More Exclusives

Letter From the Editor
We’d like to unveil a big change: after nearly four decades as a biweekly magazine, we’re going monthly.

Parental Control
San Francisco State researcher Caitlin Ryan explains the importance behind a study linking suicide and drug use among gay children to parental rejection.

Austerity Chic
How novelist and performance artist Mike Albo gets by in lean times.

Hoping to "Wu" Michelle
Dressing Michelle Obama in November was a game changer for designer Jason Wu. Now he has his sights set on the future first lady’s most high-profile event: Inauguration Day.

Boi From Troy Signs Off
After five years of raising eyebrows on the Web, Boi From Troy blogger -- and gay Republican -- Scott Schmidt is signing off.

A Desert Journey
The Mii Amo spa in Sedona, Ariz., is famous for packages designed to lead people through a spiritual as well as physical transformation. One writer relinquishes herself to the journey and recounts her days in one of the world's most beautiful destination resorts.

A List: Chris Evans
Chris Evans is a serious actor but that doesn’t mean he wants you to stop objectifying him.

Great American Couple
In an exclusive excerpt from his new book, Hollywood Bohemians: Transgressive Sexuality and the Selling of the Movieland Dream, Brett L. Abrams explores the relationship between Cary Grant and Randolph Scott, who led homosexual lives right under everyone's nose.

Mormons Gone Wild
After one man undresses missionaries for his calendar, LDS Church–owned Brigham Young University strips him of his degree.

The Loony Bin Trip: A Conversation With Norah Vincent
A journalistic Houdini, Norah Vincent follows up her best-selling book Self Made Man with Voluntary Madness, an account of her days inside a mental institution.

Constructive Impatience
Stung by the Warren decision, GLAAD's former executive director Joan Garry offers the Obama transition team some sage advice.

Boxer Goes Trans for Eli Stone
Often perceived as male by confused casting agents, boxer-body builder turned actor Dallas Malloy felt a deep connection to the trans minister she plays on Eli Stone.

Mamma Mia! Rises Again
Meryl Streep and company managed to top Harry Potter and Titanic at the U.K. box office, and now Mamma Mia! is poised to break similar records on DVD. Director Phyllida Lloyd talked to Advocate.com about bringing one of the biggest musicals of all time to the big screen.

Letters From Southern Africa: Home Visit
Peace Corps volunteer Zachery Scott heads into the bush to visit with families.

The Other White Meat
As one of the subjects of the documentary about the drag pageant circuit, Pageant, opening in select theaters, and one of the contestants on RuPaul's Drag Race, premiering next month on Logo, Victoria "Porkchop" Parker may not look or act like your typical female impersonator, but make no mistake, she is one of the best.

The Religious Defense
In an excerpt from her new book, Bulletproof Faith: A Spiritual Survival Guide for Gay and Lesbian Christians, author Candace Chellew-Hodge incorporates the wisdom of Xena: Warrior Princess to illustrate her theories as to how gay and lesbian people of faith can protect themselves from those who attack their views.

Photo Finish
Did Prop. 8 backlash cause art censorship -- or its reversal -- at Brigham Young University? Could be, as BYU photography student J. Michael Wiltbank found when his contribution to a two-week-long art exhibition -- eight pairs of benign portraits, each depicting an LGBT-identified BYU student alongside a supportive friend -- had been removed.

The Divine Miss M.
Since the death of performer Wayland Flowers in 1988, his over-the-top puppet creation Madame has been seen only sporadically. But with the launch of her new casino tour, Madame is back.

Whither NLGJA?
The leading professional organization for LGBT journalists is facing a crisis that threatens its very survival. In a changing media landscape and a tough economy, how does a small nonprofit live up to its mission and retain members?

The Road to Equality
Barbara Boxer, the U.S. senator from California, understands why her gay constituents are furious over Rick Warren's role in the inauguration -- it feels like Proposition 8 redux.