>From reports in the 8-11-93 San Francisco 
Sentinel and the 8-12-93 Bay Area Reporter:

"Eight Democratic senators are urging the Pentagon
to release an independent study that they say finds
not substantive basis for keeping the ban on gay men
and lesbians serving openly in the military.

The House and Senate planned to consider the fiscal
1994 defense budget, which writes into law a policy
barring homosexual conduct by service members this 
week, but the lawmakers argued that it would be ill-advised
to do so without the report.

'If the Congress codifies the revised policy based on insufficient
and inaccurate information, the policy will lack credibility both 
with the public and the courts,' the lawmakers said in an Aug. 2
letter to Defense Secretary Les Aspin."

Those signing the letter: Harkin of Iowa, Boxer and Feinstein
of California, Metzenbaum of Ohio, Moseley-Braun of Illinois,
Feingold of Wisconsin, Wellstone of Minnesota, and Murray of Washington.

The issues of gays in the military is scheduled to be debated
in Congress in September.

Apparently, at least 37 Representatives also signed the letter.

"Brendan Daly, press secretary to gay congressman Gerry Studds,
said his office was told by the Pentagon that the report
is not ready for distribution but Daly said he doesn't 
believe that.  Daly thinks that pressure from Congress
will eventually bring the report to daylight and that
if it has not been released by Sept. 8, when Congress
reconvenes, a bill may be introduced requiring the
report be made public.

The $1.3 million Rand report said that opposition
to gays in the military comes from the Joint Chiefs
of Staff and not from the majority of military personnel.
Assuming a complete end to the ban, the report presents
a detailed set of guidelines fo carrying out the new
order.  It called for an emphasis on behavior and
suggested a list of specific behaviors that would
be unacceptable for all personnel.

The report was compiled by a team of two dozen
historians, economists, sociologists, psychologists,
anthropologists, doctors and lawyers.

In testimony to Congress last month, Aspin said
the Pentagon would try to report on the study
to lawmakers.  Questioned about the lawmakers'
call for the report's release, Pentagon
spokesperson Kathleen deLaski said:
'We're planning to release it, probably
not much more than a week from now.'"

Editorial a-snide: Aspin says the
Pentagon would TRY to report on the
study to lawmakers?!?!?!  The little
engine that thinks it can, huffing
and puffing?  SHEEEEE-IT.
****Jessea Greenman  <crsdept@nature.berkeley.edu>****
"We are in a race between education and catastrophe."
        Janet Jackson