“Outed” Officer

Attention has been drawn once again to the US’ “don’t, ask don’t tell” policy regarding homosexuality in the armed forces after a lesbian solider was “outed” by police. Jene Newsome, 28, had played by the rules as an Air Force sergeant and not disclosed her sexual orientation. But after police officers in Rapid City, S.D., saw an Iowa marriage certificate in her home and told the nearby Ellsworth Air Force Base, she was discharged from her duties. Newsome has since filed a complaint against the South Dakota police department claiming the officers violated her privacy when they informed the military about her homosexuality. And the case highlights a fatal flaw in the 1993 “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy – the ability of third parties to step in and do the “outing.” “I played by ‘don’t ask, don’t tell,'” Newsome told press.”I just don’t agree with what the Rapid City police department did. … They violated a lot of internal policies on their end, and I feel like my privacy was violated.”