The US Army secretary said Wednesday he would not discharge gay soldiers who reveal their sexual orientation in private conversations with him, despite a law barring homosexuals from serving openly in uniform.
John McHugh, the top civilian in the US Army, said that gay service members should not be punished in the course of discussions designed to assess how troops view plans to change the current law.
"I've had men and women in uniform approach me and declare that they were gay and give me their opinion," McHugh told a gathering of defense reporters.
"I just felt it would be counterproductive" to expel gays under those conditions, he said.
President Barack Obama has called for repealing the 1993 law, known as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," which requires gays to keep quiet about their sexual orientation or face expulsion from the military.
By: Brant
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