Jene Newsome

Jene Newsome

Jene Newsome was a United States Air Force sergeant who was honorably discharged after 9 years of service under the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. She was outed by the Rapid City Police Department on November 24, 2009 after they saw an Iowa marriage license on her kitchen table.[1] The case is most famous for the questions it raised about third party outings under the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.

Contents

Background

Jene Newsome is a native of Swatara Township, Pennsylvania and attended Central Dauphin East High School. She has a brother, 5 years her junior, Michael Newsome (currently majoring in criminal justice at Central Pennsylvania College. She was married to Cheryl Hutson in October 2009 in Iowa (where gay marriage is currently legal).

History

Jene Newsome was serving as an aircraft armament system craftsman when the Rapid City Police Department began looking for her partner, who was wanted on theft charges in Fairbanks, Alaska. They called her at the Ellsworth Air Force Base, and when she refused to leave work immediately to help the officers find her partner, they saw her Iowa marriage license in her home.[2] There have been conflicting reports on whether the officers actually entered the home or whether they saw the license sitting on the kitchen table through a window. After several phone calls from the officers to Newsome, she arrived home to find officer Jeremy Stauffacher, detective Tom Garinger and her partner inside her home.[3] Four days after Cheryl Hudson's arrest, the police reported the marriage license to the Air Force via a fax entitled "FYI."[4] Newsome's partner has most recently been reported as being released on bail and facing one felony and three misdemeanor theft charges.[5]

Controversy

Newsome's discharge came at a time when the Pentagon was conducting an extensive internal review of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, ordered by Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Michael Mullen. As part of the review, the Pentagon was expected to suggest ways to minimize third-party outings, especially those suspected to be a result of vindictiveness, by relaxing enforcement of the policy. Gates hinted to senators that the Pentagon could enforce the policy more fairly (by avoiding discharges due to vicious third-party outings) preceding a possible repeal of the policy itself.[6] Representative Joe Sestak, a former Navy admiral, said that Newsome's case is an example of why President Barack Obama (who promised in January 2009 to work with the military and Congress to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell") should stop dismissals of gay service members while Congress works towards repealing the policy.[7] Another Pennsylvania senator, Democrat Arlen Specter, is the co-sponsor of a bill that was introduced in March 2010 to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." However, Senator and former Republican presidential candidate John McCain (previously a Navy pilot) has said that while American soldiers are in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, military policy on gays should not be changed. He asserted that the policy is generally supported by the military.[8]

Newsome initially filed a complaint with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), claiming that the police violated her privacy since her sexual orientation had nothing to do with the police investigation. Now, with help from her lawyers at the ACLU, she is requesting $800,000 from Rapid City Mayor Alan Hanks and the city council to compensate for her financial losses (which include loss of the chance to earn a retirement plan worth $500,000 or more[9]). She has also asked for an apology and a new police policy barring the department from releasing information about anyone's sexual orientation.[10] The Rapid City Police Department, in a statement made by police chief Steve Allender, claimed that the marriage license was relevant to the investigation because it revealed both the relationship between the two women and their residency.[11] They also insisted that they always notify the military if a serviceperson is involved in an investigation,[12] and later said that Newsome was suspected of harboring a fugitive.[13]

Since the incident, a Facebook group entitled "Justice for Jene" has been created. In addition to the requests Jene has made, it also demands that the officers involved in the incident be reprimanded.[14]

References

  1. ^ Ross, Timberly (2010-03-13). "Jene Newsome Discharged: Rapid City Police Told Air Force That Sergeant Was Lesbian". The Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/13/jene-newsome-discharged-r_n_498134.html. Retrieved 2010-06-01. 
  2. ^ Ross, Timberly (2010-03-13). "Jene Newsome Discharged: Rapid City Police Told Air Force That Sergeant Was Lesbian". The Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/13/jene-newsome-discharged-r_n_498134.html. Retrieved 2010-06-01. 
  3. ^ "Air Force discharged lesbian after police tattled on her Iowa marriage". MetroWeekly. 2010-03-15. http://www.metroweekly.com/news/last_word/2010/03/air-force-discharged-lesbian-a.html. Retrieved 2010-06-02. "Video" 
  4. ^ Doody, Robert (2010-03-15). "Who You Love Shouldn't Matter When You Serve". Blog of Rights (American Civil Liberties Union). http://www.aclu.org/blog/lgbt-rights/who-you-love-shouldnt-matter-when-you-serve. Retrieved 2010-06-02. 
  5. ^ "How Did Police Retaliate Against Sgt. Jene Newsome? By Outing Her to the Air Foce, Which Swiftly Kicked Her Out". Queerty. 2010-03-14. http://www.queerty.com/how-did-police-retaliate-against-sgt-jene-newsome-by-outing-her-to-the-air-foce-which-swiftly-kicked-her-out-20100314/. Retrieved 2010-06-02. 
  6. ^ Benen, Steve (2010-03-14). "Meet Jene Newsome". The Washington Monthly. http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_03/022853.php. Retrieved 2010-06-02. 
  7. ^ Fishlock, Diana (2010-03-15). "Swatara Township native's dismissal from Air Force illustrates need to change military policy on gays, experts say". The Patriot-News. http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2010/03/swatara_township_natives_dismi.html. Retrieved 2010-06-02. 
  8. ^ Fishlock, Diana (2010-03-15). "Swatara Township native's dismissal from Air Force illustrates need to change military policy on gays, experts say". The Patriot-News. http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2010/03/swatara_township_natives_dismi.html. Retrieved 2010-06-02. 
  9. ^ Snyder, Myles (2010-03-16). "Lesbian Sgt. Discharged after Police Tell Military". ABC 27 News. http://www.whtm.com/news/stories/0310/716493.html. Retrieved 2010-06-02. [dead link]
  10. ^ "Sgt. Jene Newsome Would Like $800,000 and an Apology for the Cops Outing Her". Queerty. 2010-03-22. http://www.queerty.com/sgt-jene-newsome-would-like-800000-and-an-apology-for-the-cops-outing-her-20100322/. Retrieved 2010-06-02. 
  11. ^ Ross, Timberly (2010-03-13). "Jene Newsome Discharged: Rapid City Police Told Air Force That Sergeant Was Lesbian". The Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/13/jene-newsome-discharged-r_n_498134.html. Retrieved 2010-06-01. 
  12. ^ "How Did Police Retaliate Against Sgt. Jene Newsome? By Outing Her to the Air Force, Which Swiftly Kicked Her Out". Queerty. 2010-03-14. http://www.queerty.com/how-did-police-retaliate-against-sgt-jene-newsome-by-outing-her-to-the-air-foce-which-swiftly-kicked-her-out-20100314/. Retrieved 2010-06-02. 
  13. ^ "Sgt. Jene Newsome Would Like $800,000 and an Apology for the Cops Outing Her". Queerty. 2010-03-22. http://www.queerty.com/sgt-jene-newsome-would-like-800000-and-an-apology-for-the-cops-outing-her-20100322/. Retrieved 2010-06-02. 
  14. ^ Ito, Suzanne (2010-03-18). "Demand Justice for Jene Newsome!". Blog of Rights (American Civil Liberties Union). http://www.aclu.org/blog/lgbt-rights/demand-justice-jene-newsome. Retrieved 2010-06-02. 

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