wfn.org | A statement on the murder of Private First Class Barry Winchell

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kmccormick@dfms.org

2000-013

A statement on the murder of Private First Class Barry Winchell 

     On the night of July 3, 1999, Private Barry Winchell, a 
twenty-one-year-old soldier stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, 
was brutally murdered because he was gay. In violation of the 
"Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Pursue" policy of  the Department 
of Defense regarding the sexual orientation and conduct of 
service members, in violation of the military's good order and 
discipline, and in violation of the most fundamental of human rights, 
Barry Winchell was relentlessly taunted, harassed and 
murdered in his sleep.

     We deplore this crime of hate and violence and call the 
Army, the Department of Defense and the highest levels of our 
government to create a command climate and military environment 
where such violence cannot occur.

     More than four decades ago the Armed Forces of our nation 
took the lead against crimes of discrimination and  racism in the 
military. More than two decades ago the American military 
addressed itself to the inequalities of gender bias. Today all 
occupational specialties, except the most dangerous and 
demanding, are open to both women and men. Now the Armed Forces 
must create an environment where a person's sexual preference is 
not the basis for discrimination, and where gays and lesbians 
enjoy the same rights and security as heterosexual persons.

     At this season of Christmas, we remember not only the birth 
of Jesus in Bethlehem, but also Herod's brutal slaughter of 
countless innocent children. Barry Winchell's murder is an 
example of the fear and hate and violence of which we are still 
capable. There is no better way to honor the birth of Jesus than 
to prepare a world where he can be born, nurtured and protected 
in the birth and life of every person.

     The Rt. Rev. Charles L. Keyser                 

     Bishop for the Armed Forces                      

     The Rev. George E. Packard

     Bishop-elect for the Armed Forces

     1 January 2000