Sen. Robb Says Gays Have Place in Military
- Share via
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Sen. Charles S. Robb (D-Va.), an ex-Marine and Vietnam War veteran, said homosexuals should be allowed to serve in the military.
“Like racial or ethnic origin or gender, sexual preference has no bearing on how great a contribution an individual can make to the United States,” Robb said in a letter to Gen. Colin L. Powell, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
“The military, in my judgment, should not bar individuals from service based on who they are; rather, it should be concerned with what they do,” Robb wrote in the letter published Saturday by the Daily Press of Newport News.
The newspaper did not say how it obtained the letter, or whether Powell had replied to it.
Get the L.A. Times Politics newsletter
Deeply reported insights into legislation, politics and policy from Sacramento, Washington and beyond. In your inbox twice per week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
