Gay rights advocates protest UCLA ROTC
‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy sparks protest in Plaza
By Donna Wong
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
In the midst of UCLA’s Coming Out Week, almost 100 students and
community members took the stage on Thursday in Westwood Plaza
again, but this time to protest the military’s "don’t ask, don’t
tell" policy regarding sexual orientation in the Reserve Officer
Training Corps.
Rallying against the use of public funds to finance programs for
the ROTC whose policies, critics say, discriminate against gays and
lesbians, Los Angeles community members spoke out specifically
against UCLA’s ROTC.
Speakers such as state Sen. Tom Hayden, (D-Santa Monica), U.S.
Army Sgt. Jose Zuniga and the Rev. Dusty Pruitt from the
Metropolitan Community Church in Los Angeles demanded change in the
ROTC’s policy, which requires that the ROTC and its cadets not
discuss members’ sexual orientations. These rules fall in line with
U.S. military policy.
Ultimately, the speakers emphasized an end to the discrimination
 or an end to the program.
"If they won’t end the discrimination policy, we will act in the
budget sub-committee and will strip money from (the ROTC) budget
subsidies until the subsidy for discrimination ends," Hayden said
in his address.
Although some believe the rally’s goal was to kick the ROTC off
the UCLA campus, this wasn’t so, said Julio Rosa, chair of GALA,
UCLA’s gay, lesbian and bisexual alliance.
"Separate but equal is not acceptable," Rosa explained. "We’re
just saying they can’t discriminate."
But Rosa added, "If the only way to resolve the issue is to kick
ROTC off campus, then that’s what may have to happen."
While no officials from the campus ROTC office could be reached
for comment after the rally, one UCLA ROTC instructor who saw the
protest said it seemed significant that there were less people at
the anti-ROTC demonstration, compared to the coming out rallies
earlier this week.
"There really weren’t that many people there to reflect the idea
that UCLA students want to throw ROTC off campus," said J.D.
Whitlock, ROTC naval lieutenant.
And even though Whitlock said he does believe the policy to be
discriminatory, he added there is no other option, considering the
intimate conditions under which people in the military live.
"You’re forcing a person to live with someone who could
potentially be attracted to them," Whitlock said.
Despite these types of living conditions, Zuniga disagreed about
the policy in his address.
"No one should have to live a lie, deny their identity or deny
loved ones because the government requires them to do so," Zuniga
said.
Fifth-year world arts and cultures student Ariella Norminton,
who was passing out anti-ROTC stickers at the rally, said she hopes
she was able to expose students to the issue by talking to those
who passed by.
Rosa stressed the event was successful because the protest
reached beyond the student population and attracted UCLA alumni and
other community members.
But others were disappointed about the low turnout and suggested
more students did not attend because felt they could not make an
impact.
"People are still nervous about the issue," said Jill Morgan,
third-year religious studies student.
During the protest, the speakers stressed the importance of
changing homophobic attitudes now so that future generations will
not have to face discrimination.
"I want the world to be different for that one child in 10 who
isn’t wearing the blue booties, or the pink booties, but the
lavender ones," Pruitt said.