(no subject)
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Headlines/Default.aspx?id=1499284
But among the first issues to arise on Saturday was whether Manning's sexual orientation is relevant to the case against him. His attorneys maintained that his status as a homosexual in the military before the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" contributed to mental and emotional problems that should have barred him from having access to sensitive material.
The defense revealed that Manning had written to one of his supervisors in Baghdad before his arrest, saying he was suffering from gender-identity disorder. He included a picture of himself dressed as a woman and talked about how it was affecting his ability to do his job and even think clearly.
Maj. Matthew Kemkes, one of Manning's lawyers, asked Special Agent Toni Graham, an Army criminal investigator, whether she had talked to people who believed Manning was gay or found evidence among his belongings relating to gender-identity disorder. The condition often is described as a mental diagnosis in which people believe they were born the wrong sex.
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My comment: If I were in the gay activist crowd, I'd be fighting strongly against this defense. It will, if successful, establish a precedent that gays cannot be trusted because their 'condition' leads to sufficient mental and emotional problems that they should be denied access to sensitive material.
It could really change the decisions made as the military struggles with the implementation of DADT. Top Secret, Secret, Confidential, NoForn, and Gay...
But among the first issues to arise on Saturday was whether Manning's sexual orientation is relevant to the case against him. His attorneys maintained that his status as a homosexual in the military before the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" contributed to mental and emotional problems that should have barred him from having access to sensitive material.
The defense revealed that Manning had written to one of his supervisors in Baghdad before his arrest, saying he was suffering from gender-identity disorder. He included a picture of himself dressed as a woman and talked about how it was affecting his ability to do his job and even think clearly.
Maj. Matthew Kemkes, one of Manning's lawyers, asked Special Agent Toni Graham, an Army criminal investigator, whether she had talked to people who believed Manning was gay or found evidence among his belongings relating to gender-identity disorder. The condition often is described as a mental diagnosis in which people believe they were born the wrong sex.
**************************
My comment: If I were in the gay activist crowd, I'd be fighting strongly against this defense. It will, if successful, establish a precedent that gays cannot be trusted because their 'condition' leads to sufficient mental and emotional problems that they should be denied access to sensitive material.
It could really change the decisions made as the military struggles with the implementation of DADT. Top Secret, Secret, Confidential, NoForn, and Gay...