May 23, 1992 For Immediate Release Vanderbilt Lambda Association Vanderbilt University Nashville, Tennesee For information contact: Andy Dailey, VLA Chair Phone: 615-421-6681 Fax: 615-322-2020 Electronic Mail: bitnet: daileyka@vuctrvax internet: daileyka@ctrvax.vanderbilt.edu Kelly Bliss Electronic Mail: bitnet: blisskw@vuctrvax internet: blisskw@ctrvax.vanderbilt.edu Lt. Tracy Thorne, a Naval flight officer, came out publicly as a gay man on ABC's _Nightline_ Tuesday, May 19, 1992. His announcement was made the same day that Rep. Pat Schroeder (D-CO) introduced a bill in Congress to end themilitary's policy of barring homosexuals from serving in the armed forces. Because of his public declaration that he is gay, Thorne was asked the next day to resign his commission, but refused. The Navy has begun official proceedings to discharge Thorne. Throne said on the program that he would fight any efforts to discharge him. "I'm not going to go quietly," Thorne said on _Nightline_. "Hopefully on my record and the record of several other people before me, we can get this ban overturned." Thorne was fourth in his class in Officer Candidate School, and won "Top Gun" honors at Naval flight school. Thorne is a graduate of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, where he was president of the university chapter of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. He is now a member of the Vanderbilt Lambda Association, a group for lesbian, gay and bisexual students, faculty, staff and alumni. Both Thorne's announcement and Schroeder's bill are aimed at ending Department of Defense directive 1332.14, which states, "Homosexuality is incompatible with military service." Since 1982, more than 13,000 lesbians and gay men have been discharged under the policy. The military has spent more than $300 million on such discharges. On the program, Schroeder noted that a recent poll shows 81 percent of Americans are opposed to the Pentagon's current policy.