Secury Clearance Delays Hamper Gays' Careers | The Scientist Magaze®

Contents:

• YOU'VE PROBABLY HEARD OF THE RED SRE, BUT THE LSER-KNOWN, ANTI-GAY 'LAVENR SRE' IS RARELY TGHT SCHOOLS
• SECURY CLEARANCE DELAYS HAMPER GAYS' CAREERS
• NEW SECURY CLEARANCE L MAY HARM GAY PUBLIC SERVANTS
• THE ERA WHEN GAY SPI WERE FEARED
• GAY PEOPLE AND ERNMENT SECURY CLEARANC. A SOCIAL SCIENCE PERSPECTIVE
• CLTON ENDS BAN ON SECURY CLEARANCE FOR GAY WORKERS
• HOW THE CIA CAME OUT OF THE CLOSETONE LS SECRETFOR S, GAY AND LBIAN TELLIGENCE OFFICERS HAD TO KEEP THEIR SEXUALY A SECRET. THEN ME A REMARKABLE SHIFT.SHANE HARRISUPDATED APR. 14, 2017 10:19AM EDT / PUBLISHED JUL. 31, 2015 7:15PM EDT TRACEY BALLARD APPLIED TO JO THE CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY 1985. THE LAST STEP HER MONTHS-LONG VETTG WAS A POLYGRAPH EXAM. BALLARD KNEW THAT SHE MIGHT BE ASKED ABOUT HER SEXUALY. AND IF SHE ANSWERED TTHFULLY, SHE THOUGHT SHE PROBABLY WOULDN’T GET THE JOB.TO BE OPENLY GAY OR LBIAN, ACRDG TO THE TWISTED OFFICIAL LOGIC OF THAT BYGONE BUT NOT-DISTANT ERA, WAS PRUMED TO BE SO SHAMEFUL THAT TELLIGENCE AGENCY EMPLOYE WOULD DO ANYTHG TO KEEP THEIR DARK SECRET, CLUDG HANDG OVER CLASSIFIED RMATN TO A FOREIGN ADVERSARY WHO THREATENED BLACKMAIL. NEVER MD THAT BEG OPEN ABOUT ONE’S SEXUALY OR GENR INTY WOULD TAKE AWAY THE VERY LEVERAGE THAT A CHE OR RSIAN AGENT MIGHT TRY TO E. AS A MATTER OF POLICY, THE FERAL ERNMENT ULD NY OR REVOKE A SECURY CLEARANCE, AND TH ACCS TO CLASSIFIED RMATN, BASED ON SOMEONE’S SEXUAL ORIENTATN. AND SOMEONE WHO LACKS A CLEARANCE IS EFFECTIVELY UNEMPLOYABLE, AT THE CIA OR ANY OTHER SENSIVE JOB THE ERNMENT OR THE PRIVATE SECTOR, FOR WHICH ’S ALMOST ALWAYS A BASIC REQUIREMENT.BALLARD KNEW SHE WAS AT RISK. BUT HER POLYGRAPHER POSED THE QUTN AN UNEXPECTED WAY. “DO YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WH HOMOSEXUALY?” HE ASKED. WELL, THAT WAS EASY. NO, SHE REPLIED. BALLARD PASSED THE EXAM, NFINT THAT SHE’D GIVEN A PLETELY TTHFUL ANSWER.TWO YEARS LATER, WAS TIME FOR BALLARD TO RENEW HER CLEARANCE—AND AGA FACE A POLYGRAPHER. BALLARD WAS WORRIED THE EXAMER THIS TIME MIGHT ASK THE QUTN A DIFFERENT WAY. NOW BALLARD WAS LIVG WH HER FEMALE PARTNER AND RAISG A DGHTER. HER PARTNER WAS ON ACTIVE DUTY THE ARY. IF BALLARD WERE ASKED, “ARE YOU A RELATNSHIP WH A WOMAN?” AND SHE ANSWERED Y, THE CIA MIGHT WANT TO SPEAK TO HER PARTNER. AND IF SHE WAS OUTED AT WORK, SHE ULD BE DISHONORABLY DISCHARGED. BOTH WOMEN NOW FACED A POTENTIALLY REER-ENDG CISN. “THERE WAS A LOT OF ANXIETY OUR RELATNSHIP AROUND ,” BALLARD RELLED A RECENT TERVIEW. HER PARTNER ASKED, “‘WHAT ARE YOU GOG TO DO?”ON THE MORNG OF THE POLYGRAPH, BALLARD STOPPED HER QUISOR BEFORE HE ASKED THE FIRST QUTN. SHE TOLD HIM ABOUT HER PARTNER, ABOUT THEIR LIFE TOGETHER. “I HAD MA THE CISN THAT MORNG THAT MY TEGRY WAS TOO IMPORTANT.” SHE TOOK THE EXAM, AND THEN THREE WEEKS LATER SOMETHG UNEXPECTED HAPPENED.BALLARD DIDN’T LOSE HER CLEARANCE. INSTEAD, SHE WAS ASKED TO S DOWN WH A PANEL OF OFFICERS—ALL MEN—ASSIGNED TO SURFACE THE TIMATE TAILS OF BALLARD’S RELATNSHIP AND ASSS WHETHER HER SEXUALY MA HER A RISK TO NATNAL SECURY.“THEY ASKED A LOT OF QUTNS. INAPPROPRIATE QUTNS,” BALLARD SAID. “THEY WERE TRYG TO MAKE SURE I WAS TTHFUL ENOUGH TO BE EMPLOYED.” WHICH, NSIRG BALLARD HAD JT RISKED HER FAY’S LIVELIHOOD BY TELLG THE TTH, WAS A TT SHE HAD OBVLY PASSED.BALLARD’S QUTNERS SEEMED TO BE CLGG TO OUTDATED NOTNS OF LOYALTY AND PATRTISM, REMISCENT OF THE “LAVENR SRE” OF THE 1950S THAT HAD SEN. JOSEPH MCCARTHY HUNTG DOWN “SEX PERVERTS” EVERY RNER OF THE NATNAL SECURY APPARAT. “HOMOSEXUALS MT NOT BE HANDLG TOP SECRET MATERIAL,” MCCARTHY CLARED. GAY MEN PARTICULAR WERE SEEN AS VULNERABLE TO BLACKMAIL, AND PRIME TARGETS FOR SOVIET SPY RECERS. HOMOSEXUALY, THEREFORE, WAS BOTH A MORAL OFFENSE AND A GATEWAY TO TREASON.HISTORIAN DAVID K. JOHNSON HAS OBSERVED THAT MUCH OF MCCARTHY’S POLIL FLUENCE AT THE TIME ME NOT OM HIS RAMPAGE AGAST SPECTED MUNISTS THE ERNMENT—FOR WHICH HE IS MOST REMEMBERED—BUT OM PERSECUTG GAYS AND LBIANS, SOME OF WHOM WERE DRIVEN TO SUICI.MCCARTHY’S MIXTURE OF MORALY AND NATNAL SECURY FED OFFICIAL POLICY. IN 1953, PRINT DWIGHT EISENHOWER SIGNED AN EXECUTIVE ORR DIRECTG FERAL AGENIC TO VTGIATE EMPLOYE WHO MIGHT POSE SECURY RISKS. “SEXUAL PERVERSN,” FOR HOMOSEXUALY, WAS NSIRED A FIREABLE OFFENSE. AN TIMATED 10,000 GAY MEN AND WOMEN LOST THEIR JOBS. PROTTS BY A FEW CIVIL SERVANTS WILLG TO MAND THE POLICY BE REPEALED SPARKED THE GAY CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT.THE SRE WAS A WCH HUNT, AND THE EMBERS WERE STILL SMOLRG 30 YEARS LATER WHEN BALLARD WAS TRYG TO RENEW HER SECURY CLEARANCE.“WE JT DIDN’T HAVE A CULTURE OF TST,” BALLARD SAID.THE GELG Q&A WASN’T THE END OF . THE CIA WENT BACK AND VTIGATED ALL BALLARD’S ANSWERS AND VERIFIED SHE WAS TELLG THE TTH. BUT THEN, A YEAR LATER, THE AGENCY RENRED S VERDICT: SHE ULD KEEP HER SECURY CLEARANCE. AND ULDN’T BE TAKEN AWAY AGA ON THE BASIS OF HER SEXUALY. IT WAS A CISN THAT MAY HAVE BEEN UNPRECENTED THE HISTORY OF THE CIA.SUDNLY, BALLARD HAD NOTHG TO HI. AT LEAST NOT OM HER MANAGERS. “I FELT I WAS A UNIQUE POSN,” SHE SAID. “I WAS CLEARED.” SHE MIGHT GET FIRED IF SHE SCREWED UP ON THE JOB. BUT SHE ULDN’T GET THE AXE FOR BEG PARTNERED WH A WOMAN.BALLARD STARTED WATCHG FOR OTHER SIGNS THAT THE WDS MIGHT BE SHIFTG. IN AN TERNAL CIA MUNITN 1994, BALLARD SPOTTED WHAT SHE SCRIBED AS A “VERY BRIEF NOTICE” THAT SAID THE AGENCY DIDN’T TAKE A POSN ON WHETHER TO NY SOMEONE A SECURY CLEARANCE ON THE BASIS OF SEXUAL ORIENTATN.IT WASN’T A WHOLALE SHIFT POLICY. “BUT YOU ULD SEE SOMETHG,” SHE SAID. “A THAWG.” BALLARD STARTED SPEAKG UP WHEN SHE HEARD -WORKERS BAD-MOUTHG GAYS AND LBIANS. “I’D SAY, ‘WHY ARE YOU DISPARAGG THE PEOPLE LIKE THAT WHEN WE HAVE A NEED FOR THEIR SKILLS?’”IT WAS A FAIR QUTN. BUT HAD TAKEN HER YEARS TO SUMMON THE NERVE TO ASK. “I HAD BUILT UP MY ARMOR,” BALLARD SAID. “I WAS JT NOT GOG TO TAKE ANYMORE.”SHE WOULDN’T HAVE TO FOR MUCH LONGER. IN AUGT 1995, PRINT BILL CLTON ISSUED A NEW EXECUTIVE ORR, EFFECTIVELY REVERSG EISENHOWER’S POLICY. “NO FERENCE NCERNG THE STANDARDS” FOR EMPLOYMENT, SAID, “MAY BE RAISED SOLELY ON THE BASIS OF THE SEXUAL ORIENTATN OF THE EMPLOYEE.” A SECURY CLEARANCE ULDN’T BE NIED, OR REVOKED, ON THOSE GROUNDS.THE IMMUNY THAT BALLARD HAD BEEN GIVEN AFTER NNG THE GNTLET WAS NOW A PROTECTN THAT APPLIED TO EVERY EMPLOYEE.“TO ME, THAT WAS THE GOLN GRAIL RIGHT THERE,” SHE SAID, SG AT THE MEMORY OF WHEN SHE FIRST HEARD THE NEWS.***AUGT 2, 2015, MARKS THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF CLTON’S ORR. IT WAS A SIGNIFINT AND LARGELY OVERLOOKED TONE THE FIGHT FOR CIVIL RIGHTS THE WORKPLACE, ONE THAT PROFOUNDLY CHANGED THE LIV AND REERS OF TELLIGENCE AGENCY EMPLOYE WHO ULD NOW BE OUT AT WORK WHOUT FEAR OF LOSG THEIR JOBS.BUT TOOK ANOTHER BEFORE THOSE PEOPLE TLY BELIEVED THEY WERE SAFE AND WELE, SEVERAL SAID DURG RECENT TERVIEWS. DISCRIMATN AGAST GAYS AND LBIANS DIDN’T SUDNLY CEASE. JT THE PAST WEEK, AN OPENLY GAY CIA NTRACTOR ALLEGED HE WAS VERBALLY ABED AND FELT PHYSILLY THREATENED ON THE JOB. THE OFFICIAL EMBRACE OF LGBT EMPLOYE NOT FOR THEIR DIFFERENC, BUT FOR THEIR POTENTIAL NTRIBUTNS, HAS ONLY BEGUN.JOHN BRENNAN, THE CURRENT CIA DIRECTOR, IS PLAYG A CENTRAL ROLE THAT EFFORT, RMED BY HIS OWN EXPERIENCE WORKG AT THE AGENCY AS A REER OFFICER, BEFORE AND AFTER THE ORR WAS SIGNED.BRENNAN MAY BE THE BT STRAIGHT ALLY THE AGENCY’S LGBT MUNY HAS EVER HAD. ON THE OCSNS WHEN HE WEARS A LANYARD—THE NECKLACE WH DANGLG FOBS AND ID RDS THAT ARE PRACTILLY PART THE WARDROBE FOR MOST FERAL EMPLOYE—’S OFTEN ONE EMBLAZONED WH A RABOW PATCH AND THE LOGO FOR ANGLE, THE AGENCY NETWORK OF GAY, LBIAN, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENR EMPLOYE AND ALLI. ON JULY 10, BRENNAN PRAISED BALLARD FOR HER ROLE -FOUNDG THE GROUP AND SERVG AS A ROLE MOL FOR OTHER EMPLOYE DURG AN ALL-HANDS MEETG ABOUT THE CIA’S EFFORTS TO CREATE A MORE DIVERSE WORKFORCE. (BALLARD WAS THE FIRST EMPLOYEE HE LLED OUT FOR SPECIAL ATTENTN THE SPEECH.) AND JUNE, WHEN THE SUPREME COURT LED THERE’S A NSTUTNAL RIGHT TO SAME-SEX MARRIAGE, BRENNAN SENT AN EMAIL TO A LISTSERV OF LGBT EMPLOYE TELLG THEM HOW PLEASED HE WAS WH THE COURT’S CISN.DURG TERVIEWS RECENT WEEKS, CURRENT AND FORMER CIA OFFICERS HAVE GIVEN BRENNAN CRED FOR HIS MMENT TO RECG AND RETAG MORE LGBT EMPLOYE. “IT’S NOT LIP SERVICE,” SAID AN OPENLY GAY ANALYST NAMED CHARL, WHO, OWG TO THE SENSIVE NATURE OF HIS JOB, ASKED NOT TO BE INTIFIED BY HIS LAST NAME. (HE MAY BE OUT AT WORK, BUT HE STILL WORKS WH SPI.)BRENNAN TOLD THE DAILY BEAST THAT LIGHT OF THE PANOPLY OF THREATS THAT THE UNED STAT FAC AROUND THE WORLD, THE LAST THG THE CIA NEEDS TO DO IS CUT SELF OFF OM PEOPLE OF VARIED BACKGROUNDS AND PERSPECTIV.“DIVERSY OF THOUGHT, ETHNICI, BACKGROUNDS, AND EXPERIENC IS SENTIAL TO CIA’S SUCCS AND WE NEED AT EVERY LEVEL OF THE ENTERPRISE,” BRENNAN SAID A WRTEN STATEMENT. “IT IS OUR DUTY TO HARNS THE RICHNS OF ALL OUR EMPLOYE AND TO ENSURE EACH OF THEM IS VALUED. GIVEN OUR GLOBAL MISSN, NO ERNMENT AGENCY STANDS TO BENEF MORE OM DIVERSY AND CLN THAN DO CIA.”IT’S AN AMB IA THAT, BY MANY ACUNTS, THE CIA HAS SUCCEED WEAVG TO POLICI AND CULTURE. FOUR YEARS AGO, THE AGENCY BEGAN A NEW OUTREACH PROGRAM AIMED AT RECG, AMONG OTHERS, LGBT EMPLOYE.BUT THIS EXPANSIVE MENTALY, WHILE APPLD BY THE WORKFORCE, HAS ALSO BEEN TTED.ON WEDNDAY, FORMER NAVY SEAL BRETT JON, WHO IS OPENLY GAY AND A CIA NTRACTOR, WENT PUBLIC WH A HARROWG TALE OF ON-THE-JOB DISCRIMATN THE BATTLEFIELDS OF AFGHANISTAN. WHILE WORKG JUNE FOR THE CIA’S GLOBAL RPONSE STAFF, WHICH RECS FORMER SPECIAL OPERATNS FORC TO HELP PROTECT AGENCY PERSONNEL THE FIELD, JON SAYS HE WAS LLED A “FAGGOT” BY HIS -WORKERS, JOKED ABOUT BEHD HIS BACK, AND WAS ONCE LEFT STRAND AWAY OM HIS BASE, 120-GREE HEAT, WHOUT WATER.THE TNTS BEME HOSTILE, JON SAID AN TERVIEW WH THE DAILY BEAST, WHEN HE SAW HIMSELF REFERRED TO AS “GAY GAY” A POWERPOT BRIEFG ON A DANGERO MISSN HE AND OTHERS WERE ABOUT TO TAKE. JON WORRIED HIS LIFE WAS BEG THREATENED.“EVERYONE IS ARMED. EVERYONE IS STRSED OUT. AND I ULDN’T TST ANYBODY,” HE SAID.“I HAD NO IA WHO WAS ON THIS. I HAD NO IA HOW FAR UP WENT. AND I KNEW THAT IF I SPOKE UP, ULD POTENTIALLY END UP G ME SOME SORT OF HARM.”JON SAID HE NTACTED A CIA OFFICIAL BACK THE UNED STAT, TELLG HIM, “I’M NOT SAFE, AND I NEED TO GO HOME.” JON RETURNED TO THE UNED STAT ON JULY 8.OWG TO PERSONNEL AND SECRECY L, THE CIA WOULDN’T MENT ON JON’S SE OR NFIRM THAT HE WORKS FOR THE GLOBAL RPONSE STAFF. BUT BRENNAN’S STATEMENT, WHICH HE GAVE AFTER JON’S STORY WAS REPORTED BY THE SAN DIEGO UNN TRIBUNE, THE CIA DIRECTOR SPOKE ABOUT THE UNFISHED BS OF BRGG LGBT EMPLOYE AND NTRACTORS TO THE FOLD, EVEN 20 YEARS AFTER THE EXECUTIVE ORR ON SECURY CLEARANC MEANT JON ULD E TO WORK WHOUT HIDG WHO HE IS.“WE’VE MA SUBSTANTIAL PROGRS ENHANCG LGBT DIVERSY AND CLN EFFORTS AT CIA, BUT WE STILL HAVE WORK TO DO,” BRENNAN SAID. “TO ENSURE THAT LGBT OFFICERS ARE WELE AND CLUD AT CIA, IS CUMBENT ON ME AND EVERY OTHER CIA LEAR TO MONSTRATE OUR MMENT TO THEM NOT ONLY THROUGH WORDS, BUT ALSO THROUGH CLEAR AND STAED ACTNS.”***CLTON’S EXECUTIVE ORR WAS JT WORDS, TOO. AND WHILE AT THE TIME BALLARD AND HER LLEAGU HAD E FOR CELEBRATN, GAY AND LBIAN ACTIVISTS OUTSI THE CIA SAW THE ORR’S PASSAGE AS AN UNRWHELMG VICTORY.“LIFTG THAT BAN ON THE ABILY TO GET SECURY CLEARANC REMOVED A KD OF LAVENR CEILG PLAC LIKE THE FBI AND THE CIA, AND EVEN AMONG FENSE NTRACTORS, SO LGBT PEOPLE ULD ADVANCE MUCH FURTHER THAN THEY ULD BEFORE,” SAID ELIZABETH BIRCH, WHO WAS THEN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN.BUT ADVOT WERE HOPG FOR MORE. CLTON HAD E TO OFFICE PROMISG TO LIFT THE BAN ON GAYS AND LBIANS SERVG OPENLY THE ARY—AN IA THAT BACKFIRED SPECTACULARLY WHEN WAS OPPOSED BY ARY LEARS, MEMBERS OF CONGRS, AND LARGE SEGMENTS OF THE PUBLIC. PROPONENTS OF LIFTG THE BAN HOPED WOULD BE A NEW CHAPTER THE HISTORY OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT, AK TO HARRY TMAN SEGREGATG THE ARMED FORC 1948. AND THEY THOUGHT THAT CLTON’S ELECTN WOULD HERALD A NEW ERA FOR WORKPLACE ANTI-DISCRIMATN LAWS.“PRINT CLTON FELT LIKE A GUY RIDG OVER A HILL ON A HORSE WH THE CLOUDS PARTG AND THE SUN SHG THROUGH,” BIRCH SAID. “BUT ALL WE END UP GETTG WAS THIS [EXECUTIVE ORR]. AND FELT LIKE VERY LTLE THE NTEXT OF THE GREATER NEED. AND ’S UNFORTUNATE BEE WAS A VERY IMPORTANT STEP.”AT THE CIA, THE ORR WAS ALSO TREATED UTLY. BALLARD AND HER LLEAGU KNEW THAT A FUTURE ADMISTRATN ULD RCD CLTON’S ORR. AND THE AGENCY ULD, TECHNILLY, CHOOSE NOT TO FOLLOW . OWG TO S NATNAL SECURY MISSN, THE CIA IS NSIRED AN “EXCEPTED SERVICE,” MEANG THAT DON’T HAVE TO ADHERE TO THE SAME EMPLOYMENT L AND REGULATNS THAT ERN HIRG AND FIRG MOST FERAL EMPLOYE. THE AGENCY ULD STILL PULL SECURY CLEARANC OR REFE TO GRANT THEM TO HOMOSEXUALS.INED, THE URTS HAD GIVEN THE TELLIGENCE MUNY PERMISSN TO DO JT THAT. IN ONE OF THE MOST PIVOTAL S FOR GAY AND LBIAN WORKPLACE RIGHTS, A GROUP OF EMPLOYE AT TECHNOLOGY PANI UNR NTRACT TO THE PENTAGON SUED THE DEFENSE INDTRIAL SECURY CLEARANCE OFFICE, WHICH HAD BEEN NYG SECURY CLEARANC TO HOMOSEXUALS FOR YEARS. (THE SE IS AS MEMORABLE FOR THE OUTE AS IS FOR S NAME—HIGH TECH GAYS VS. DISCO.)IN 1990, A U.S. APPEALS URT LED THAT THE DEFENSE DEPARTMENT’S DISCRIMATN WAS PERMISSIBLE BEE “UNTERTELLIGENCE AGENCI TARGET HOMOSEXUALS.” THAT NCLN WAS BASED ON “EVINCE,” SUPPLIED BY THE PARTMENT SELF, THAT SEXUALY WAS ONE OF SEVERAL “HUMAN WEAKNS, DISCRETNS AND VIC,” ALONG WH ALHOL AND DG ABE AND FANCIAL PROBLEMS, THAT FOREIGN ERNMENTS HAD NSISTENTLY SOUGHT TO EXPLO.THE URT FURTHER ADD THAT “SPECIAL FERENCE MT BE GIVEN… TO THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH WHEN ADJUDITG MATTERS VOLVG THEIR CISNS ON PROTECTG CLASSIFIED RMATN.”WH CLTON’S ORR, THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH HAD SPOKEN—AGAST DISCRIMATN. YET FEW GAYS AND LBIANS STEPPED OUT OF THE CLOSET S WAKE.BALLARD -FOUND ANGLE 1996, BUT CIA EMPLOYE DIDN’T FLOCK TO THE FIRST MEETGS. “THE HARST PART,” SHE SAID, “WAS GETTG DIVIDUALS WHO WERE ALREADY THE ANIZATN TO E OUT.”GEE TE, WHO BEME CIA DIRECTOR THAT YEAR, RELLED THAT NVCG EMPLOYE THAT THE AGENCY REALLY DID VALUE OPENNS AND DIFFERENCE WAS AS MUCH ABOUT GROOMG THE NEXT GENERATN OF LEARS AS PETG FOR TALENT WH THE PRIVATE SECTOR.“DIVERSY WAS A HUGE LEARSHIP PRRY FOR OUR TIME,” TE TOLD THE DAILY BEAST. “THE NTEXT WAS VELOPG ALL OF OUR PEOPLE IRRPECTIVE OF RACE, CREED OR SEXUAL ORIENTATN TO THEIR FULLT POTENTIAL AND TO ENSURE CIA WAS SEEN AS A LEAR BOTH THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS THIS REGARD.”HEADG TO THE LATE 1990S, THE CIA WAS LOSG SEASONED MANAGERS TO RETIREMENT AND NOT ATTRACTG NEW TALENT AS LARGE NUMBERS AS PREV YEARS. THE COLD WAR WAS OVER. BUDGET CUTS MEANT LS HIRG AND SLG BACK OPERATNS. TECH PANI WERE ON THE RISE AND ATTRACTG TALENT WH SALARI THAT THE ERNMENT ULD NEVER PAY.THEN THE 9/11 ATTACKS LED TO A SURGE APPLITNS—MORE THAN 150,000 THE DAYS FOLLOWG THE ATTACKS, PARED TO THE TENS OF THOANDS THE AGENCY TYPILLY RECEIVED EACH YEAR. A HIRG BONANZA WAS ON, ACROSS THE TELLIGENCE MUNY, FOR TRANSLATORS, TERRORISM ANALYSTS, OPERATIV, AND TECHNOLOGY SPECIALISTS. THE NEW RECS WERE OVERWHELMGLY YOUNG, DRAWN OM A GENERATN THAT HAD FEW, IF ANY, OF THE HANGUPS ABOUT SEXUAL ORIENTATN AS THEIR PRECSORS.BY 2007, THOSE POST-9/11 RECS MA UP AN ASTONISHG 35 PERCENT OF THE TOTAL WORKFORCE OF ALL TELLIGENCE AGENCI. THE VETERANS WERE MOVG CLOSER TO RETIREMENT EVERY DAY. THE YOUNG WERE TAKG OVER.BILL, AN OPENLY GAY SENR OFFICER WHO JOED THE CIA 1985 (AND WHO ASKED NOT TO BE INTIFIED BY HIS LAST NAME), SAID THAT THE EARLY 2000S NEW RECS WERE ALREADY OUT OF THE CLOSET. “THAT WAS AMAZG,” SAID BILL, WHO DIDN’T ACKNOWLEDGE TO HIMSELF THAT HE WAS GAY UNTIL A AFTER HE JOED THE AGENCY.CHARL, THE ANALYST, JOED 2004, WAS UNSURE HOW THE CIA WOULD REACT TO HIS BEG OPENLY GAY.“I’D BEEN WALKG AROUND WH FOR WEEKS, WORRIED THAT WOULD KEEP ME OM WORKG HERE,” CHARL SAID, NOTG THAT HE’D ONLY E OUT A FEW YEARS EARLIER, AFTER GRADUATG LLEGE.LIKE BALLARD, HE TOLD HIS POLYGRAPHER THAT HE WAS GAY BEFORE THE TERVIEW EVEN BEGAN. “OH, THAT’S NOT SOMETHG WE RE ABOUT,” CHARL SAID THE EXAMER REPLIED. “TELL ME ABOUT ANY DG E.”LONGTIME CIA OFFICERS SAY THIS PERD OF RAPID CHANGE MIRRORED A BROAR, SOCIETAL SHIFT. BUT ’S HARD TO IMAGE THAT THE TELLIGENCE AGENCI WOULD HAVE CHANGED SO FAST ABSENT THAT SURGE OF YOUNG EMPLOYE AFTER THE 9/11 ATTACKS. NOW THOSE MEN AND WOMEN ARE HEADG TO THE RANKS OF MIDDLE-MANAGEMENT, ON THEIR WAY TO ONE DAY NNG THE TELLIGENCE MUNY. AND THEY’RE BARELY AWARE THAT THERE WAS A TIME WHEN THEY ULD HAVE BEEN DMMED OUT OF THEIR PROFSN BEE OF WHOM THEY LOVED.“THEY DON’T KNOW ANY DIFFERENT,” BILL SAID.***BY THE LATE 2000S, MORE THAN JT CULTURE WAS CHANGG. CHARL RELLED MEETG WH CIA DIRECTOR LEON PATA ABOUT WHAT STEPS HE ULD TAKE UNR HIS OWN THORY TO ADVANCE LGBT WORKPLACE RIGHTS AND BENEFS. PATA, WHO RAN THE AGENCY OM 2009 TO 2011, AND WAS CLTON’S CHIEF OF STAFF WHEN THE PRINT SIGNED THE EXECUTIVE ORR, TURNED TO HIS ASSISTANT AND ASKED IF HE ULD FE THE TERM “SPOE” TO CLU PARTNERS OF THE SAME SEX, SO THAT THEY ULD RECEIVE THE BENEFS AFFORD TO OPPOSE-SEX UPL. PATA DID.LGBT EMPLOYE ALSO OBTAED THE SAME KDS OF “HOEHOLD” BENEFS THAT THE STATE DEPARTMENT OFFERS EMPLOYE LIVG ABROAD, AND PERSUAD THE CIA TO PAY FOR RELOTN STS AND GIVE HOG ALLOWANC TO SAME-SEX UPL.THE NEW WAVE DIDN’T JT WASH OVER THE CIA. TODAY, CHARL HEADS A GROUP LLED IC PRI THAT HAS TWO REPRENTATIV OM NEARLY EVERY ONE OF THE 17 TELLIGENCE AGENCI. IN 2012, THE GROUP HELD S FIRST “SUMM” AT A CIA NFERENCE CENTER. IN 2013, THE NATNAL GEOSPATIAL-INTELLIGENCE AGENCY, WHICH MA THE TAILED SLE MOL ED TO PLAN THE RAID ON OSAMA B LAN’S POUND PAKISTAN, PLAYED HOST. THE NATNAL SECURY AGENCY FOLLOWED 2014. AND THE NATNAL RENNAISSANCE OFFICE—THE KEEPER OF THE MOST POWERFUL SPY SATELL AND PROBABLY THE MOST SECRETIVE TELLIGENCE AGENCY OF ALL—WAS THE 2015 HOST.IN 2016, THE SUMM WILL BE HOSTED BY DEFENSE INTELLIGENCE AGENCY, WHICH HAS HISTORILLY BEEN SLOW TO EMBRACE LGBT EMPLOYE, MANY SAID, BUT HAS SEEMED TO TURN A RNER THIS YEAR. FOLLOWG A PROMENT PRI DISPLAY THE AGENCY’S LOBBY JUNE, ONE EMPLOYEE ME OUT AS TRANSGENR, CHARL SAID. THE AGENCY’S PRI MONTH SPEAKER WAS ERIC FANNG, WHO WAS THEN CHIEF OF STAFF TO DEFENSE SECRETARY ASHTON CARTER. FANNG, WHO IS ALSO THE HIGHT-RANKG OPENLY GAY MEMBER OF THE DEFENSE DEPARTMENT, IS THE LEADG NTENR TO BEE THE NEXT SECRETARY OF THE ARMY. HE WOULD BE THE FIRST OPENLY GAY PERSON TO SERVE THAT POSN.THE IC PRI GROUP HAS LET EMPLOYE OF DIFFERENT AGENCI GET AN SIGHT TO EACH OTHER’S CULTUR—A KD OF CROSS-POLLATN THAT THE 9/11 COMMISSN, WHICH VTIGATED THE TERRORIST ATTACKS, SAID WAS LACKG AND HAD TO BE VELOPED IF THE SPY AGENCI WERE GOG TO EFFECTIVELY BAT GLOBAL THREATS. ALONG THE WAY, CHARL SAID, HE’S LEARNED SOME SURPRISG THGS, CLUDG THAT MORE EMPLOYE HAVE INTIFIED AS TRANSGENR AT THE NSA AND THE NATNAL GEOSPATIAL-INTELLIGENCE AGENCY THAN ANYWHERE ELSE THE TELLIGENCE MUNY. HE’S NOT SURE WHY, BUT THOSE AGENCI TOOK THE LEAD BUILDG WHAT CHARL LLED A “RAPID PLOYMENT CELL” THAT VISS OTHER AGENCI WHERE TRANSGENR EMPLOYE ARE G OUT TO HELP SMOOTH THEIR TRANSN AND PROVI RMATN ON THE PROCS TO ANYONE WHO WANTS .TODAY, STRAIGHT CIA OFFICERS SHOW UP AT ANGLE MEETGS, CHARL SAID. ONE SENR OFFICIAL HAS BEE THE GROUP’S CHIEF BOOSTER AMONG TOP MANAGERS. SHE SIGNS HER EMAILS AS ANGLE’S “SENR CHAMPN.”JAM CLAPPER, THE DIRECTOR OF NATNAL INTELLIGENCE, WAS THE KEYNOTE SPEAKER AT THE PRI SUMM 2014, HELD AT NSA. HIS SPEECH HAS BEEN REMEMBERED AS A KD OF NFSNAL, BOTH FOR CLAPPER PERSONALLY AND THE RANKS OF TELLIGENCE LEARS WHO PRID OVER A MUNY THAT REGARD S OWN EMPLOYE AS POTENTIAL SPI AND TURNATS.ECHOG A MON REA, CLAPPER SAID THAT EMBRACG LGBT EMPLOYE IS “NOT JT ABOUT WHAT’S RIGHT. IT’S ABOUT GOOD BS OUR PROFSN.” HE RELLED HIS OWN EXPERIENCE AS A YOUNG AIR FORCE LITENANT PROCSG THE DISHONORABLE DISCHARG OF TWO MALE RSIAN-LGUISTS WHO HAD BEEN OUTED AS GAY. “I REMEMBER THKG WHAT A WASTE OF TALENT WAS TO DO THIS, ADDN TO BEG A PROFOUND JTICE,” CLAPPER SAID.TWENTY-FIVE YEARS LATER, AS THE CHIEF OF AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, CLAPPER RTORED THE CLEARANCE OF A CIVILIAN EMPLOYEE, AFTER WAS REVOKED ON THE GROUNDS OF SEXUAL ORIENTATN.“THIS SET A PRECENT THE AIR FORCE, AND I TOOK SOME FLAK FOR OM SOME OF MY AIR STAFF GENERAL OFFICER LLEAGU,” HE SAID. “BUT WAS THE RIGHT THG TO DO—FOR THAT PERSON, AND FOR OUR UNTRY. AND ALTHOUGH I DIDN’T ADM TO MYSELF AT THE TIME, MAYBE I WAS ALSO TRYG TO ATONE FOR WHAT HAPPENED TO THOSE TWO AIRMAN RSIAN LGUISTS, ALL THOSE MANY YEARS BEFORE.”THERE IS A REPENTANT QUALY TO THE TELLIGENCE MUNY’S LGBT HISTORY. IT’S WHY BRENNAN WEARG A RABOW ON HIS LANYARD OR SENDG AN EMAIL TO A PRIVATE LISTSERV ARE AS IMPORTANT SIGNALS OF HIS MMENT AS HIS PUBLIC PRONOUNCEMENTS ABOUT DIVERSY. TO BE BELIEVED, HE HAS TO WALK THE TALK.IN THE DAYS AHEAD, BRENNAN’S MMENT WILL BE QUTNED. JON, THE EX-SEAL AND CIA NTRACTOR, SAID HE HAS FILED A PLAT AND THAT THE AGENCY IS VTIGATG. AFTER JON’S STORY APPEARED, A CIA SPOKMAN, WHOUT MENTG ON THE SE, SAID THE AGENCY FOLLOWS “A ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY” AGAST HARASSMENT AND DISCRIMATN, AND THAT “CIA LEARSHIP IS MTED TO HOLDG ALL EMPLOYE ACUNTABLE FOR LIVG AND PROMOTG THIS POLICY.”IN HIS STATEMENT TO THE DAILY BEAST, BRENNAN SAID, “AS AMERINS, VOL AND ACTIVE SUPPORT FOR THE RIGHTS AND ASPIRATNS OF MEMBERS OF THE LGBT MUNY, CLUDG HERE AT THE CIA, IS THE RIGHT THG TO DO.”ONE DITN OF HOW WELL THE AGENCY IS LIVG UP TO THOSE WORDS OM JON HIMSELF. REMARKABLY, HE HOLDS NO ILL WILL TOWARDS THE AGENCY AND THE EMPLOYE HE HAS WORKED WH OVER THE YEARS, SPE FEARG FOR HIS LIFE WHEN HE WAS ON THE JOB.“THEY’VE BEEN ABSOLUTELY 100 PERCENT AWOME AND SUPPORTIVE,” SAID JON, WHO PUBLISHED A MEMOIR 2014, WHICH THE CIA VETTED TO ENSURE DIDN’T REVEAL ANY CLASSIFIED RMATN. JON SAID HE HAD RECENTLY TRAVELED TO WASHGTON AND MET A TRANSGENR PERSON WHO WORKS AT THE CIA. “IT MA ME SO CREDIBLY HAPPY THAT AN ANIZATN WOULD BE THAT SUPPORTIVE OF SOMETHG THAT’S STILL KD OF TABOO,” HE SAID.***LAST SATURDAY, JULY 25, ABOUT 60 CIA EMPLOYE, THEIR FAI, AND ALLI GOT TOGETHER FOR AN ANNUAL CRAB FEAST AT BALLARD’S HOE NORTHERN VIRGIA. IT WAS THEIR SIXTH SUCH GATHERG. THE PARTY HAS BEE A SOCIAL HIGHPOT FOR THE AGENCY’S LGBT EMPLOYE. IT’S A CHANCE TO MGLE OUTSI THE NF OF THEIR SECRETIVE OFFICE.BUT ’S ALSO A RUAL. CRACKG CRABS IS MSY WORK, UALLY DONE AT A MUNAL TABLE. AS THE FEAST PROGRS, PEOPLE’S HANDS GET VERED A MIX OF CRAB JUICE AND OLD BAY SEASONG. AS GROUP EATG EXPERIENC GO, ’S ONE OF THE MOST HUMBLG, AND A GREAT WAY TO FORCE PEOPLE TO TALK AND GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER.THE CRAB FEAST IS OPEN TO ALL. ANGLE’S “SENR CHAMPN” HAS BROUGHT HER FAY. STRAIGHT ALLI REGULARLY ATTEND. AND EVERYONE WHO KNOWS THE JOURNEY TOOK TO GET HERE. THE DISCRIMATN. THE FEAR. THE YEARS OF HIDG. THAT’S WHY, AT THE LATT FEAST, A SURPRISE GUT SET OFF A FLURRY OF EXCED WHISPERS.IS THAT HIM? IS HE HERE?HE’D E THE SI DOOR, AVOIDG A GRAND ENTRANCE. ONLY BALLARD AND A FEW OTHERS KNEW HE MIGHT SHOW UP. AS PEOPLE LOOKED UP OM THEIR CRAB, THEY SAW HIM MOVG TO THE CROWD, EXTENDG A HAND AS HE TRODUCED HIMSELF AND HIS WIFE.“HI, I’M JOHN,” THE CIA DIRECTOR SAID. SHANE HARRIS

YOU'VE PROBABLY HEARD OF THE RED SRE, BUT THE LSER-KNOWN, ANTI-GAY 'LAVENR SRE' IS RARELY TGHT SCHOOLS

“They read me my rights, ” he rells, “and they said ‘we unrstand you’re leadg a gay liftyle. ’ And I remember sayg, ‘well, I didn’t thk I was leadg , but y, I’m gay.

Eisenhower’s Executive Orr 10450, the vtigatn, terrogatn and systematic removal of gay men and lbians om the feral ernment beme policy. Known as the “Lavenr Sre, ” the policy was based on the unfound fear that gay men and lbians “posed a threat to natnal secury bee they were vulnerable to blackmail and were nsired to have weak moral characters, ” says historian David K. Joseph McCarthy’s fear-mongerg “Red Sre” mpaign the early 1950s, which targeted alleged subversive munists workg the feral ernment, thoands of ernment employe were forced out of their jobs as a rult of the anti-gay policy.

SECURY CLEARANCE DELAYS HAMPER GAYS' CAREERS

The polil and moral fears about alleged subversiv beme tertwed wh a backlash agast homosexualy, as gay and lbian culture had grown visibily the post-war years.

NEW SECURY CLEARANCE L MAY HARM GAY PUBLIC SERVANTS

The Lavenr Sre tied the notns together, nflatg gay people wh munists and allegg they uld not be tsted wh ernment secrets and labellg them as secury risks, even though there was no evince to prove this.

THE ERA WHEN GAY SPI WERE FEARED

Johnson timat that somewhere between 5, 000 and 10, 000 people lost their jobs as a rult of the Lavenr Sre, although is difficult to know the te number of people affected, as the policy acted as a terrent to any gay man or lbian woman who would have been prospective ndidat for ernment jobs. Acrdg to a 1983 oral history terview wh drag kg Rty Brown, who served the Navy, the fear went even beyond Washgton, permeatg the entertament dtry Hollywood and the bars and nightclubs New York Cy, as people were aaid they would be fired if their employers found out they were gay.

By 1965, Kameny and other gay men and lbians were picketg outsi the Whe Hoe and helpg other fired employe wh their urt s. And although 1975 the Civil Service Commissn announced new l that meant gay people uld no longer be barred or fired om feral employment bee of their sexualy, discrimatn ntued other agenci where employe had secury clearance, like the NSA, where Shoemaker worked.

GAY PEOPLE AND ERNMENT SECURY CLEARANC. A SOCIAL SCIENCE PERSPECTIVE

Wh the civil rights activist’s help, Shoemaker beme the first gay employee at the NSA to keep their job and their secury clearance after such an vtigatn, unr the ndn that he told his fay he was gay. And although Pete Buttigieg was recently announced as print-elect Joe Bin’s pick for Transportatn Secretary, which would make him the first openly gay Cabet member, discrimatn agast members of the LGBTQ muny is still prent current U. Q: Will beg gay, lbian or bisexual prevent me om gettg and matag a secury clearanceA: No.

CLTON ENDS BAN ON SECURY CLEARANCE FOR GAY WORKERS

For gay scientists hopg to do work for the Department of Defense (DoD), the Department of Energy, or the Natnal Secury Agency, one sign that tim have changed is that homosexualy, and of self, is no longer a basis for nial of a secury clearance. "Before 1975, no gay person was allowed to have a secury clearance, even at the lowt level.

Sce then, thgs have gotten signifintly better, " says Richard Gayer, a San Francis lawyer whose practice foc on appealg nial For gay scientists hopg to do work for the Department of Defense (DoD), the Department of Energy, or the Natnal Secury Agency, one sign that tim have changed is that homosexualy, and of self, is no longer a basis for nial of a secury clearance.

HOW THE CIA CAME OUT OF THE CLOSETONE LS SECRETFOR S, GAY AND LBIAN TELLIGENCE OFFICERS HAD TO KEEP THEIR SEXUALY A SECRET. THEN ME A REMARKABLE SHIFT.SHANE HARRISUPDATED APR. 14, 2017 10:19AM EDT / PUBLISHED JUL. 31, 2015 7:15PM EDT TRACEY BALLARD APPLIED TO JO THE CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY 1985. THE LAST STEP HER MONTHS-LONG VETTG WAS A POLYGRAPH EXAM. BALLARD KNEW THAT SHE MIGHT BE ASKED ABOUT HER SEXUALY. AND IF SHE ANSWERED TTHFULLY, SHE THOUGHT SHE PROBABLY WOULDN’T GET THE JOB.TO BE OPENLY GAY OR LBIAN, ACRDG TO THE TWISTED OFFICIAL LOGIC OF THAT BYGONE BUT NOT-DISTANT ERA, WAS PRUMED TO BE SO SHAMEFUL THAT TELLIGENCE AGENCY EMPLOYE WOULD DO ANYTHG TO KEEP THEIR DARK SECRET, CLUDG HANDG OVER CLASSIFIED RMATN TO A FOREIGN ADVERSARY WHO THREATENED BLACKMAIL. NEVER MD THAT BEG OPEN ABOUT ONE’S SEXUALY OR GENR INTY WOULD TAKE AWAY THE VERY LEVERAGE THAT A CHE OR RSIAN AGENT MIGHT TRY TO E. AS A MATTER OF POLICY, THE FERAL ERNMENT ULD NY OR REVOKE A SECURY CLEARANCE, AND TH ACCS TO CLASSIFIED RMATN, BASED ON SOMEONE’S SEXUAL ORIENTATN. AND SOMEONE WHO LACKS A CLEARANCE IS EFFECTIVELY UNEMPLOYABLE, AT THE CIA OR ANY OTHER SENSIVE JOB THE ERNMENT OR THE PRIVATE SECTOR, FOR WHICH ’S ALMOST ALWAYS A BASIC REQUIREMENT.BALLARD KNEW SHE WAS AT RISK. BUT HER POLYGRAPHER POSED THE QUTN AN UNEXPECTED WAY. “DO YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WH HOMOSEXUALY?” HE ASKED. WELL, THAT WAS EASY. NO, SHE REPLIED. BALLARD PASSED THE EXAM, NFINT THAT SHE’D GIVEN A PLETELY TTHFUL ANSWER.TWO YEARS LATER, WAS TIME FOR BALLARD TO RENEW HER CLEARANCE—AND AGA FACE A POLYGRAPHER. BALLARD WAS WORRIED THE EXAMER THIS TIME MIGHT ASK THE QUTN A DIFFERENT WAY. NOW BALLARD WAS LIVG WH HER FEMALE PARTNER AND RAISG A DGHTER. HER PARTNER WAS ON ACTIVE DUTY THE ARY. IF BALLARD WERE ASKED, “ARE YOU A RELATNSHIP WH A WOMAN?” AND SHE ANSWERED Y, THE CIA MIGHT WANT TO SPEAK TO HER PARTNER. AND IF SHE WAS OUTED AT WORK, SHE ULD BE DISHONORABLY DISCHARGED. BOTH WOMEN NOW FACED A POTENTIALLY REER-ENDG CISN. “THERE WAS A LOT OF ANXIETY OUR RELATNSHIP AROUND ,” BALLARD RELLED A RECENT TERVIEW. HER PARTNER ASKED, “‘WHAT ARE YOU GOG TO DO?”ON THE MORNG OF THE POLYGRAPH, BALLARD STOPPED HER QUISOR BEFORE HE ASKED THE FIRST QUTN. SHE TOLD HIM ABOUT HER PARTNER, ABOUT THEIR LIFE TOGETHER. “I HAD MA THE CISN THAT MORNG THAT MY TEGRY WAS TOO IMPORTANT.” SHE TOOK THE EXAM, AND THEN THREE WEEKS LATER SOMETHG UNEXPECTED HAPPENED.BALLARD DIDN’T LOSE HER CLEARANCE. INSTEAD, SHE WAS ASKED TO S DOWN WH A PANEL OF OFFICERS—ALL MEN—ASSIGNED TO SURFACE THE TIMATE TAILS OF BALLARD’S RELATNSHIP AND ASSS WHETHER HER SEXUALY MA HER A RISK TO NATNAL SECURY.“THEY ASKED A LOT OF QUTNS. INAPPROPRIATE QUTNS,” BALLARD SAID. “THEY WERE TRYG TO MAKE SURE I WAS TTHFUL ENOUGH TO BE EMPLOYED.” WHICH, NSIRG BALLARD HAD JT RISKED HER FAY’S LIVELIHOOD BY TELLG THE TTH, WAS A TT SHE HAD OBVLY PASSED.BALLARD’S QUTNERS SEEMED TO BE CLGG TO OUTDATED NOTNS OF LOYALTY AND PATRTISM, REMISCENT OF THE “LAVENR SRE” OF THE 1950S THAT HAD SEN. JOSEPH MCCARTHY HUNTG DOWN “SEX PERVERTS” EVERY RNER OF THE NATNAL SECURY APPARAT. “HOMOSEXUALS MT NOT BE HANDLG TOP SECRET MATERIAL,” MCCARTHY CLARED. GAY MEN PARTICULAR WERE SEEN AS VULNERABLE TO BLACKMAIL, AND PRIME TARGETS FOR SOVIET SPY RECERS. HOMOSEXUALY, THEREFORE, WAS BOTH A MORAL OFFENSE AND A GATEWAY TO TREASON.HISTORIAN DAVID K. JOHNSON HAS OBSERVED THAT MUCH OF MCCARTHY’S POLIL FLUENCE AT THE TIME ME NOT OM HIS RAMPAGE AGAST SPECTED MUNISTS THE ERNMENT—FOR WHICH HE IS MOST REMEMBERED—BUT OM PERSECUTG GAYS AND LBIANS, SOME OF WHOM WERE DRIVEN TO SUICI.MCCARTHY’S MIXTURE OF MORALY AND NATNAL SECURY FED OFFICIAL POLICY. IN 1953, PRINT DWIGHT EISENHOWER SIGNED AN EXECUTIVE ORR DIRECTG FERAL AGENIC TO VTGIATE EMPLOYE WHO MIGHT POSE SECURY RISKS. “SEXUAL PERVERSN,” FOR HOMOSEXUALY, WAS NSIRED A FIREABLE OFFENSE. AN TIMATED 10,000 GAY MEN AND WOMEN LOST THEIR JOBS. PROTTS BY A FEW CIVIL SERVANTS WILLG TO MAND THE POLICY BE REPEALED SPARKED THE GAY CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT.THE SRE WAS A WCH HUNT, AND THE EMBERS WERE STILL SMOLRG 30 YEARS LATER WHEN BALLARD WAS TRYG TO RENEW HER SECURY CLEARANCE.“WE JT DIDN’T HAVE A CULTURE OF TST,” BALLARD SAID.THE GELG Q&A WASN’T THE END OF . THE CIA WENT BACK AND VTIGATED ALL BALLARD’S ANSWERS AND VERIFIED SHE WAS TELLG THE TTH. BUT THEN, A YEAR LATER, THE AGENCY RENRED S VERDICT: SHE ULD KEEP HER SECURY CLEARANCE. AND ULDN’T BE TAKEN AWAY AGA ON THE BASIS OF HER SEXUALY. IT WAS A CISN THAT MAY HAVE BEEN UNPRECENTED THE HISTORY OF THE CIA.SUDNLY, BALLARD HAD NOTHG TO HI. AT LEAST NOT OM HER MANAGERS. “I FELT I WAS A UNIQUE POSN,” SHE SAID. “I WAS CLEARED.” SHE MIGHT GET FIRED IF SHE SCREWED UP ON THE JOB. BUT SHE ULDN’T GET THE AXE FOR BEG PARTNERED WH A WOMAN.BALLARD STARTED WATCHG FOR OTHER SIGNS THAT THE WDS MIGHT BE SHIFTG. IN AN TERNAL CIA MUNITN 1994, BALLARD SPOTTED WHAT SHE SCRIBED AS A “VERY BRIEF NOTICE” THAT SAID THE AGENCY DIDN’T TAKE A POSN ON WHETHER TO NY SOMEONE A SECURY CLEARANCE ON THE BASIS OF SEXUAL ORIENTATN.IT WASN’T A WHOLALE SHIFT POLICY. “BUT YOU ULD SEE SOMETHG,” SHE SAID. “A THAWG.” BALLARD STARTED SPEAKG UP WHEN SHE HEARD -WORKERS BAD-MOUTHG GAYS AND LBIANS. “I’D SAY, ‘WHY ARE YOU DISPARAGG THE PEOPLE LIKE THAT WHEN WE HAVE A NEED FOR THEIR SKILLS?’”IT WAS A FAIR QUTN. BUT HAD TAKEN HER YEARS TO SUMMON THE NERVE TO ASK. “I HAD BUILT UP MY ARMOR,” BALLARD SAID. “I WAS JT NOT GOG TO TAKE ANYMORE.”SHE WOULDN’T HAVE TO FOR MUCH LONGER. IN AUGT 1995, PRINT BILL CLTON ISSUED A NEW EXECUTIVE ORR, EFFECTIVELY REVERSG EISENHOWER’S POLICY. “NO FERENCE NCERNG THE STANDARDS” FOR EMPLOYMENT, SAID, “MAY BE RAISED SOLELY ON THE BASIS OF THE SEXUAL ORIENTATN OF THE EMPLOYEE.” A SECURY CLEARANCE ULDN’T BE NIED, OR REVOKED, ON THOSE GROUNDS.THE IMMUNY THAT BALLARD HAD BEEN GIVEN AFTER NNG THE GNTLET WAS NOW A PROTECTN THAT APPLIED TO EVERY EMPLOYEE.“TO ME, THAT WAS THE GOLN GRAIL RIGHT THERE,” SHE SAID, SG AT THE MEMORY OF WHEN SHE FIRST HEARD THE NEWS.***AUGT 2, 2015, MARKS THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF CLTON’S ORR. IT WAS A SIGNIFINT AND LARGELY OVERLOOKED TONE THE FIGHT FOR CIVIL RIGHTS THE WORKPLACE, ONE THAT PROFOUNDLY CHANGED THE LIV AND REERS OF TELLIGENCE AGENCY EMPLOYE WHO ULD NOW BE OUT AT WORK WHOUT FEAR OF LOSG THEIR JOBS.BUT TOOK ANOTHER BEFORE THOSE PEOPLE TLY BELIEVED THEY WERE SAFE AND WELE, SEVERAL SAID DURG RECENT TERVIEWS. DISCRIMATN AGAST GAYS AND LBIANS DIDN’T SUDNLY CEASE. JT THE PAST WEEK, AN OPENLY GAY CIA NTRACTOR ALLEGED HE WAS VERBALLY ABED AND FELT PHYSILLY THREATENED ON THE JOB. THE OFFICIAL EMBRACE OF LGBT EMPLOYE NOT FOR THEIR DIFFERENC, BUT FOR THEIR POTENTIAL NTRIBUTNS, HAS ONLY BEGUN.JOHN BRENNAN, THE CURRENT CIA DIRECTOR, IS PLAYG A CENTRAL ROLE THAT EFFORT, RMED BY HIS OWN EXPERIENCE WORKG AT THE AGENCY AS A REER OFFICER, BEFORE AND AFTER THE ORR WAS SIGNED.BRENNAN MAY BE THE BT STRAIGHT ALLY THE AGENCY’S LGBT MUNY HAS EVER HAD. ON THE OCSNS WHEN HE WEARS A LANYARD—THE NECKLACE WH DANGLG FOBS AND ID RDS THAT ARE PRACTILLY PART THE WARDROBE FOR MOST FERAL EMPLOYE—’S OFTEN ONE EMBLAZONED WH A RABOW PATCH AND THE LOGO FOR ANGLE, THE AGENCY NETWORK OF GAY, LBIAN, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENR EMPLOYE AND ALLI. ON JULY 10, BRENNAN PRAISED BALLARD FOR HER ROLE -FOUNDG THE GROUP AND SERVG AS A ROLE MOL FOR OTHER EMPLOYE DURG AN ALL-HANDS MEETG ABOUT THE CIA’S EFFORTS TO CREATE A MORE DIVERSE WORKFORCE. (BALLARD WAS THE FIRST EMPLOYEE HE LLED OUT FOR SPECIAL ATTENTN THE SPEECH.) AND JUNE, WHEN THE SUPREME COURT LED THERE’S A NSTUTNAL RIGHT TO SAME-SEX MARRIAGE, BRENNAN SENT AN EMAIL TO A LISTSERV OF LGBT EMPLOYE TELLG THEM HOW PLEASED HE WAS WH THE COURT’S CISN.DURG TERVIEWS RECENT WEEKS, CURRENT AND FORMER CIA OFFICERS HAVE GIVEN BRENNAN CRED FOR HIS MMENT TO RECG AND RETAG MORE LGBT EMPLOYE. “IT’S NOT LIP SERVICE,” SAID AN OPENLY GAY ANALYST NAMED CHARL, WHO, OWG TO THE SENSIVE NATURE OF HIS JOB, ASKED NOT TO BE INTIFIED BY HIS LAST NAME. (HE MAY BE OUT AT WORK, BUT HE STILL WORKS WH SPI.)BRENNAN TOLD THE DAILY BEAST THAT LIGHT OF THE PANOPLY OF THREATS THAT THE UNED STAT FAC AROUND THE WORLD, THE LAST THG THE CIA NEEDS TO DO IS CUT SELF OFF OM PEOPLE OF VARIED BACKGROUNDS AND PERSPECTIV.“DIVERSY OF THOUGHT, ETHNICI, BACKGROUNDS, AND EXPERIENC IS SENTIAL TO CIA’S SUCCS AND WE NEED AT EVERY LEVEL OF THE ENTERPRISE,” BRENNAN SAID A WRTEN STATEMENT. “IT IS OUR DUTY TO HARNS THE RICHNS OF ALL OUR EMPLOYE AND TO ENSURE EACH OF THEM IS VALUED. GIVEN OUR GLOBAL MISSN, NO ERNMENT AGENCY STANDS TO BENEF MORE OM DIVERSY AND CLN THAN DO CIA.”IT’S AN AMB IA THAT, BY MANY ACUNTS, THE CIA HAS SUCCEED WEAVG TO POLICI AND CULTURE. FOUR YEARS AGO, THE AGENCY BEGAN A NEW OUTREACH PROGRAM AIMED AT RECG, AMONG OTHERS, LGBT EMPLOYE.BUT THIS EXPANSIVE MENTALY, WHILE APPLD BY THE WORKFORCE, HAS ALSO BEEN TTED.ON WEDNDAY, FORMER NAVY SEAL BRETT JON, WHO IS OPENLY GAY AND A CIA NTRACTOR, WENT PUBLIC WH A HARROWG TALE OF ON-THE-JOB DISCRIMATN THE BATTLEFIELDS OF AFGHANISTAN. WHILE WORKG JUNE FOR THE CIA’S GLOBAL RPONSE STAFF, WHICH RECS FORMER SPECIAL OPERATNS FORC TO HELP PROTECT AGENCY PERSONNEL THE FIELD, JON SAYS HE WAS LLED A “FAGGOT” BY HIS -WORKERS, JOKED ABOUT BEHD HIS BACK, AND WAS ONCE LEFT STRAND AWAY OM HIS BASE, 120-GREE HEAT, WHOUT WATER.THE TNTS BEME HOSTILE, JON SAID AN TERVIEW WH THE DAILY BEAST, WHEN HE SAW HIMSELF REFERRED TO AS “GAY GAY” A POWERPOT BRIEFG ON A DANGERO MISSN HE AND OTHERS WERE ABOUT TO TAKE. JON WORRIED HIS LIFE WAS BEG THREATENED.“EVERYONE IS ARMED. EVERYONE IS STRSED OUT. AND I ULDN’T TST ANYBODY,” HE SAID.“I HAD NO IA WHO WAS ON THIS. I HAD NO IA HOW FAR UP WENT. AND I KNEW THAT IF I SPOKE UP, ULD POTENTIALLY END UP G ME SOME SORT OF HARM.”JON SAID HE NTACTED A CIA OFFICIAL BACK THE UNED STAT, TELLG HIM, “I’M NOT SAFE, AND I NEED TO GO HOME.” JON RETURNED TO THE UNED STAT ON JULY 8.OWG TO PERSONNEL AND SECRECY L, THE CIA WOULDN’T MENT ON JON’S SE OR NFIRM THAT HE WORKS FOR THE GLOBAL RPONSE STAFF. BUT BRENNAN’S STATEMENT, WHICH HE GAVE AFTER JON’S STORY WAS REPORTED BY THE SAN DIEGO UNN TRIBUNE, THE CIA DIRECTOR SPOKE ABOUT THE UNFISHED BS OF BRGG LGBT EMPLOYE AND NTRACTORS TO THE FOLD, EVEN 20 YEARS AFTER THE EXECUTIVE ORR ON SECURY CLEARANC MEANT JON ULD E TO WORK WHOUT HIDG WHO HE IS.“WE’VE MA SUBSTANTIAL PROGRS ENHANCG LGBT DIVERSY AND CLN EFFORTS AT CIA, BUT WE STILL HAVE WORK TO DO,” BRENNAN SAID. “TO ENSURE THAT LGBT OFFICERS ARE WELE AND CLUD AT CIA, IS CUMBENT ON ME AND EVERY OTHER CIA LEAR TO MONSTRATE OUR MMENT TO THEM NOT ONLY THROUGH WORDS, BUT ALSO THROUGH CLEAR AND STAED ACTNS.”***CLTON’S EXECUTIVE ORR WAS JT WORDS, TOO. AND WHILE AT THE TIME BALLARD AND HER LLEAGU HAD E FOR CELEBRATN, GAY AND LBIAN ACTIVISTS OUTSI THE CIA SAW THE ORR’S PASSAGE AS AN UNRWHELMG VICTORY.“LIFTG THAT BAN ON THE ABILY TO GET SECURY CLEARANC REMOVED A KD OF LAVENR CEILG PLAC LIKE THE FBI AND THE CIA, AND EVEN AMONG FENSE NTRACTORS, SO LGBT PEOPLE ULD ADVANCE MUCH FURTHER THAN THEY ULD BEFORE,” SAID ELIZABETH BIRCH, WHO WAS THEN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN.BUT ADVOT WERE HOPG FOR MORE. CLTON HAD E TO OFFICE PROMISG TO LIFT THE BAN ON GAYS AND LBIANS SERVG OPENLY THE ARY—AN IA THAT BACKFIRED SPECTACULARLY WHEN WAS OPPOSED BY ARY LEARS, MEMBERS OF CONGRS, AND LARGE SEGMENTS OF THE PUBLIC. PROPONENTS OF LIFTG THE BAN HOPED WOULD BE A NEW CHAPTER THE HISTORY OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT, AK TO HARRY TMAN SEGREGATG THE ARMED FORC 1948. AND THEY THOUGHT THAT CLTON’S ELECTN WOULD HERALD A NEW ERA FOR WORKPLACE ANTI-DISCRIMATN LAWS.“PRINT CLTON FELT LIKE A GUY RIDG OVER A HILL ON A HORSE WH THE CLOUDS PARTG AND THE SUN SHG THROUGH,” BIRCH SAID. “BUT ALL WE END UP GETTG WAS THIS [EXECUTIVE ORR]. AND FELT LIKE VERY LTLE THE NTEXT OF THE GREATER NEED. AND ’S UNFORTUNATE BEE WAS A VERY IMPORTANT STEP.”AT THE CIA, THE ORR WAS ALSO TREATED UTLY. BALLARD AND HER LLEAGU KNEW THAT A FUTURE ADMISTRATN ULD RCD CLTON’S ORR. AND THE AGENCY ULD, TECHNILLY, CHOOSE NOT TO FOLLOW . OWG TO S NATNAL SECURY MISSN, THE CIA IS NSIRED AN “EXCEPTED SERVICE,” MEANG THAT DON’T HAVE TO ADHERE TO THE SAME EMPLOYMENT L AND REGULATNS THAT ERN HIRG AND FIRG MOST FERAL EMPLOYE. THE AGENCY ULD STILL PULL SECURY CLEARANC OR REFE TO GRANT THEM TO HOMOSEXUALS.INED, THE URTS HAD GIVEN THE TELLIGENCE MUNY PERMISSN TO DO JT THAT. IN ONE OF THE MOST PIVOTAL S FOR GAY AND LBIAN WORKPLACE RIGHTS, A GROUP OF EMPLOYE AT TECHNOLOGY PANI UNR NTRACT TO THE PENTAGON SUED THE DEFENSE INDTRIAL SECURY CLEARANCE OFFICE, WHICH HAD BEEN NYG SECURY CLEARANC TO HOMOSEXUALS FOR YEARS. (THE SE IS AS MEMORABLE FOR THE OUTE AS IS FOR S NAME—HIGH TECH GAYS VS. DISCO.)IN 1990, A U.S. APPEALS URT LED THAT THE DEFENSE DEPARTMENT’S DISCRIMATN WAS PERMISSIBLE BEE “UNTERTELLIGENCE AGENCI TARGET HOMOSEXUALS.” THAT NCLN WAS BASED ON “EVINCE,” SUPPLIED BY THE PARTMENT SELF, THAT SEXUALY WAS ONE OF SEVERAL “HUMAN WEAKNS, DISCRETNS AND VIC,” ALONG WH ALHOL AND DG ABE AND FANCIAL PROBLEMS, THAT FOREIGN ERNMENTS HAD NSISTENTLY SOUGHT TO EXPLO.THE URT FURTHER ADD THAT “SPECIAL FERENCE MT BE GIVEN… TO THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH WHEN ADJUDITG MATTERS VOLVG THEIR CISNS ON PROTECTG CLASSIFIED RMATN.”WH CLTON’S ORR, THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH HAD SPOKEN—AGAST DISCRIMATN. YET FEW GAYS AND LBIANS STEPPED OUT OF THE CLOSET S WAKE.BALLARD -FOUND ANGLE 1996, BUT CIA EMPLOYE DIDN’T FLOCK TO THE FIRST MEETGS. “THE HARST PART,” SHE SAID, “WAS GETTG DIVIDUALS WHO WERE ALREADY THE ANIZATN TO E OUT.”GEE TE, WHO BEME CIA DIRECTOR THAT YEAR, RELLED THAT NVCG EMPLOYE THAT THE AGENCY REALLY DID VALUE OPENNS AND DIFFERENCE WAS AS MUCH ABOUT GROOMG THE NEXT GENERATN OF LEARS AS PETG FOR TALENT WH THE PRIVATE SECTOR.“DIVERSY WAS A HUGE LEARSHIP PRRY FOR OUR TIME,” TE TOLD THE DAILY BEAST. “THE NTEXT WAS VELOPG ALL OF OUR PEOPLE IRRPECTIVE OF RACE, CREED OR SEXUAL ORIENTATN TO THEIR FULLT POTENTIAL AND TO ENSURE CIA WAS SEEN AS A LEAR BOTH THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS THIS REGARD.”HEADG TO THE LATE 1990S, THE CIA WAS LOSG SEASONED MANAGERS TO RETIREMENT AND NOT ATTRACTG NEW TALENT AS LARGE NUMBERS AS PREV YEARS. THE COLD WAR WAS OVER. BUDGET CUTS MEANT LS HIRG AND SLG BACK OPERATNS. TECH PANI WERE ON THE RISE AND ATTRACTG TALENT WH SALARI THAT THE ERNMENT ULD NEVER PAY.THEN THE 9/11 ATTACKS LED TO A SURGE APPLITNS—MORE THAN 150,000 THE DAYS FOLLOWG THE ATTACKS, PARED TO THE TENS OF THOANDS THE AGENCY TYPILLY RECEIVED EACH YEAR. A HIRG BONANZA WAS ON, ACROSS THE TELLIGENCE MUNY, FOR TRANSLATORS, TERRORISM ANALYSTS, OPERATIV, AND TECHNOLOGY SPECIALISTS. THE NEW RECS WERE OVERWHELMGLY YOUNG, DRAWN OM A GENERATN THAT HAD FEW, IF ANY, OF THE HANGUPS ABOUT SEXUAL ORIENTATN AS THEIR PRECSORS.BY 2007, THOSE POST-9/11 RECS MA UP AN ASTONISHG 35 PERCENT OF THE TOTAL WORKFORCE OF ALL TELLIGENCE AGENCI. THE VETERANS WERE MOVG CLOSER TO RETIREMENT EVERY DAY. THE YOUNG WERE TAKG OVER.BILL, AN OPENLY GAY SENR OFFICER WHO JOED THE CIA 1985 (AND WHO ASKED NOT TO BE INTIFIED BY HIS LAST NAME), SAID THAT THE EARLY 2000S NEW RECS WERE ALREADY OUT OF THE CLOSET. “THAT WAS AMAZG,” SAID BILL, WHO DIDN’T ACKNOWLEDGE TO HIMSELF THAT HE WAS GAY UNTIL A AFTER HE JOED THE AGENCY.CHARL, THE ANALYST, JOED 2004, WAS UNSURE HOW THE CIA WOULD REACT TO HIS BEG OPENLY GAY.“I’D BEEN WALKG AROUND WH FOR WEEKS, WORRIED THAT WOULD KEEP ME OM WORKG HERE,” CHARL SAID, NOTG THAT HE’D ONLY E OUT A FEW YEARS EARLIER, AFTER GRADUATG LLEGE.LIKE BALLARD, HE TOLD HIS POLYGRAPHER THAT HE WAS GAY BEFORE THE TERVIEW EVEN BEGAN. “OH, THAT’S NOT SOMETHG WE RE ABOUT,” CHARL SAID THE EXAMER REPLIED. “TELL ME ABOUT ANY DG E.”LONGTIME CIA OFFICERS SAY THIS PERD OF RAPID CHANGE MIRRORED A BROAR, SOCIETAL SHIFT. BUT ’S HARD TO IMAGE THAT THE TELLIGENCE AGENCI WOULD HAVE CHANGED SO FAST ABSENT THAT SURGE OF YOUNG EMPLOYE AFTER THE 9/11 ATTACKS. NOW THOSE MEN AND WOMEN ARE HEADG TO THE RANKS OF MIDDLE-MANAGEMENT, ON THEIR WAY TO ONE DAY NNG THE TELLIGENCE MUNY. AND THEY’RE BARELY AWARE THAT THERE WAS A TIME WHEN THEY ULD HAVE BEEN DMMED OUT OF THEIR PROFSN BEE OF WHOM THEY LOVED.“THEY DON’T KNOW ANY DIFFERENT,” BILL SAID.***BY THE LATE 2000S, MORE THAN JT CULTURE WAS CHANGG. CHARL RELLED MEETG WH CIA DIRECTOR LEON PATA ABOUT WHAT STEPS HE ULD TAKE UNR HIS OWN THORY TO ADVANCE LGBT WORKPLACE RIGHTS AND BENEFS. PATA, WHO RAN THE AGENCY OM 2009 TO 2011, AND WAS CLTON’S CHIEF OF STAFF WHEN THE PRINT SIGNED THE EXECUTIVE ORR, TURNED TO HIS ASSISTANT AND ASKED IF HE ULD FE THE TERM “SPOE” TO CLU PARTNERS OF THE SAME SEX, SO THAT THEY ULD RECEIVE THE BENEFS AFFORD TO OPPOSE-SEX UPL. PATA DID.LGBT EMPLOYE ALSO OBTAED THE SAME KDS OF “HOEHOLD” BENEFS THAT THE STATE DEPARTMENT OFFERS EMPLOYE LIVG ABROAD, AND PERSUAD THE CIA TO PAY FOR RELOTN STS AND GIVE HOG ALLOWANC TO SAME-SEX UPL.THE NEW WAVE DIDN’T JT WASH OVER THE CIA. TODAY, CHARL HEADS A GROUP LLED IC PRI THAT HAS TWO REPRENTATIV OM NEARLY EVERY ONE OF THE 17 TELLIGENCE AGENCI. IN 2012, THE GROUP HELD S FIRST “SUMM” AT A CIA NFERENCE CENTER. IN 2013, THE NATNAL GEOSPATIAL-INTELLIGENCE AGENCY, WHICH MA THE TAILED SLE MOL ED TO PLAN THE RAID ON OSAMA B LAN’S POUND PAKISTAN, PLAYED HOST. THE NATNAL SECURY AGENCY FOLLOWED 2014. AND THE NATNAL RENNAISSANCE OFFICE—THE KEEPER OF THE MOST POWERFUL SPY SATELL AND PROBABLY THE MOST SECRETIVE TELLIGENCE AGENCY OF ALL—WAS THE 2015 HOST.IN 2016, THE SUMM WILL BE HOSTED BY DEFENSE INTELLIGENCE AGENCY, WHICH HAS HISTORILLY BEEN SLOW TO EMBRACE LGBT EMPLOYE, MANY SAID, BUT HAS SEEMED TO TURN A RNER THIS YEAR. FOLLOWG A PROMENT PRI DISPLAY THE AGENCY’S LOBBY JUNE, ONE EMPLOYEE ME OUT AS TRANSGENR, CHARL SAID. THE AGENCY’S PRI MONTH SPEAKER WAS ERIC FANNG, WHO WAS THEN CHIEF OF STAFF TO DEFENSE SECRETARY ASHTON CARTER. FANNG, WHO IS ALSO THE HIGHT-RANKG OPENLY GAY MEMBER OF THE DEFENSE DEPARTMENT, IS THE LEADG NTENR TO BEE THE NEXT SECRETARY OF THE ARMY. HE WOULD BE THE FIRST OPENLY GAY PERSON TO SERVE THAT POSN.THE IC PRI GROUP HAS LET EMPLOYE OF DIFFERENT AGENCI GET AN SIGHT TO EACH OTHER’S CULTUR—A KD OF CROSS-POLLATN THAT THE 9/11 COMMISSN, WHICH VTIGATED THE TERRORIST ATTACKS, SAID WAS LACKG AND HAD TO BE VELOPED IF THE SPY AGENCI WERE GOG TO EFFECTIVELY BAT GLOBAL THREATS. ALONG THE WAY, CHARL SAID, HE’S LEARNED SOME SURPRISG THGS, CLUDG THAT MORE EMPLOYE HAVE INTIFIED AS TRANSGENR AT THE NSA AND THE NATNAL GEOSPATIAL-INTELLIGENCE AGENCY THAN ANYWHERE ELSE THE TELLIGENCE MUNY. HE’S NOT SURE WHY, BUT THOSE AGENCI TOOK THE LEAD BUILDG WHAT CHARL LLED A “RAPID PLOYMENT CELL” THAT VISS OTHER AGENCI WHERE TRANSGENR EMPLOYE ARE G OUT TO HELP SMOOTH THEIR TRANSN AND PROVI RMATN ON THE PROCS TO ANYONE WHO WANTS .TODAY, STRAIGHT CIA OFFICERS SHOW UP AT ANGLE MEETGS, CHARL SAID. ONE SENR OFFICIAL HAS BEE THE GROUP’S CHIEF BOOSTER AMONG TOP MANAGERS. SHE SIGNS HER EMAILS AS ANGLE’S “SENR CHAMPN.”JAM CLAPPER, THE DIRECTOR OF NATNAL INTELLIGENCE, WAS THE KEYNOTE SPEAKER AT THE PRI SUMM 2014, HELD AT NSA. HIS SPEECH HAS BEEN REMEMBERED AS A KD OF NFSNAL, BOTH FOR CLAPPER PERSONALLY AND THE RANKS OF TELLIGENCE LEARS WHO PRID OVER A MUNY THAT REGARD S OWN EMPLOYE AS POTENTIAL SPI AND TURNATS.ECHOG A MON REA, CLAPPER SAID THAT EMBRACG LGBT EMPLOYE IS “NOT JT ABOUT WHAT’S RIGHT. IT’S ABOUT GOOD BS OUR PROFSN.” HE RELLED HIS OWN EXPERIENCE AS A YOUNG AIR FORCE LITENANT PROCSG THE DISHONORABLE DISCHARG OF TWO MALE RSIAN-LGUISTS WHO HAD BEEN OUTED AS GAY. “I REMEMBER THKG WHAT A WASTE OF TALENT WAS TO DO THIS, ADDN TO BEG A PROFOUND JTICE,” CLAPPER SAID.TWENTY-FIVE YEARS LATER, AS THE CHIEF OF AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, CLAPPER RTORED THE CLEARANCE OF A CIVILIAN EMPLOYEE, AFTER WAS REVOKED ON THE GROUNDS OF SEXUAL ORIENTATN.“THIS SET A PRECENT THE AIR FORCE, AND I TOOK SOME FLAK FOR OM SOME OF MY AIR STAFF GENERAL OFFICER LLEAGU,” HE SAID. “BUT WAS THE RIGHT THG TO DO—FOR THAT PERSON, AND FOR OUR UNTRY. AND ALTHOUGH I DIDN’T ADM TO MYSELF AT THE TIME, MAYBE I WAS ALSO TRYG TO ATONE FOR WHAT HAPPENED TO THOSE TWO AIRMAN RSIAN LGUISTS, ALL THOSE MANY YEARS BEFORE.”THERE IS A REPENTANT QUALY TO THE TELLIGENCE MUNY’S LGBT HISTORY. IT’S WHY BRENNAN WEARG A RABOW ON HIS LANYARD OR SENDG AN EMAIL TO A PRIVATE LISTSERV ARE AS IMPORTANT SIGNALS OF HIS MMENT AS HIS PUBLIC PRONOUNCEMENTS ABOUT DIVERSY. TO BE BELIEVED, HE HAS TO WALK THE TALK.IN THE DAYS AHEAD, BRENNAN’S MMENT WILL BE QUTNED. JON, THE EX-SEAL AND CIA NTRACTOR, SAID HE HAS FILED A PLAT AND THAT THE AGENCY IS VTIGATG. AFTER JON’S STORY APPEARED, A CIA SPOKMAN, WHOUT MENTG ON THE SE, SAID THE AGENCY FOLLOWS “A ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY” AGAST HARASSMENT AND DISCRIMATN, AND THAT “CIA LEARSHIP IS MTED TO HOLDG ALL EMPLOYE ACUNTABLE FOR LIVG AND PROMOTG THIS POLICY.”IN HIS STATEMENT TO THE DAILY BEAST, BRENNAN SAID, “AS AMERINS, VOL AND ACTIVE SUPPORT FOR THE RIGHTS AND ASPIRATNS OF MEMBERS OF THE LGBT MUNY, CLUDG HERE AT THE CIA, IS THE RIGHT THG TO DO.”ONE DITN OF HOW WELL THE AGENCY IS LIVG UP TO THOSE WORDS OM JON HIMSELF. REMARKABLY, HE HOLDS NO ILL WILL TOWARDS THE AGENCY AND THE EMPLOYE HE HAS WORKED WH OVER THE YEARS, SPE FEARG FOR HIS LIFE WHEN HE WAS ON THE JOB.“THEY’VE BEEN ABSOLUTELY 100 PERCENT AWOME AND SUPPORTIVE,” SAID JON, WHO PUBLISHED A MEMOIR 2014, WHICH THE CIA VETTED TO ENSURE DIDN’T REVEAL ANY CLASSIFIED RMATN. JON SAID HE HAD RECENTLY TRAVELED TO WASHGTON AND MET A TRANSGENR PERSON WHO WORKS AT THE CIA. “IT MA ME SO CREDIBLY HAPPY THAT AN ANIZATN WOULD BE THAT SUPPORTIVE OF SOMETHG THAT’S STILL KD OF TABOO,” HE SAID.***LAST SATURDAY, JULY 25, ABOUT 60 CIA EMPLOYE, THEIR FAI, AND ALLI GOT TOGETHER FOR AN ANNUAL CRAB FEAST AT BALLARD’S HOE NORTHERN VIRGIA. IT WAS THEIR SIXTH SUCH GATHERG. THE PARTY HAS BEE A SOCIAL HIGHPOT FOR THE AGENCY’S LGBT EMPLOYE. IT’S A CHANCE TO MGLE OUTSI THE NF OF THEIR SECRETIVE OFFICE.BUT ’S ALSO A RUAL. CRACKG CRABS IS MSY WORK, UALLY DONE AT A MUNAL TABLE. AS THE FEAST PROGRS, PEOPLE’S HANDS GET VERED A MIX OF CRAB JUICE AND OLD BAY SEASONG. AS GROUP EATG EXPERIENC GO, ’S ONE OF THE MOST HUMBLG, AND A GREAT WAY TO FORCE PEOPLE TO TALK AND GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER.THE CRAB FEAST IS OPEN TO ALL. ANGLE’S “SENR CHAMPN” HAS BROUGHT HER FAY. STRAIGHT ALLI REGULARLY ATTEND. AND EVERYONE WHO KNOWS THE JOURNEY TOOK TO GET HERE. THE DISCRIMATN. THE FEAR. THE YEARS OF HIDG. THAT’S WHY, AT THE LATT FEAST, A SURPRISE GUT SET OFF A FLURRY OF EXCED WHISPERS.IS THAT HIM? IS HE HERE?HE’D E THE SI DOOR, AVOIDG A GRAND ENTRANCE. ONLY BALLARD AND A FEW OTHERS KNEW HE MIGHT SHOW UP. AS PEOPLE LOOKED UP OM THEIR CRAB, THEY SAW HIM MOVG TO THE CROWD, EXTENDG A HAND AS HE TRODUCED HIMSELF AND HIS WIFE.“HI, I’M JOHN,” THE CIA DIRECTOR SAID. SHANE HARRIS

Sce then, thgs have gotten signifintly better, " says Richard Gayer, a San Francis lawyer whose practice foc on appealg nials of clearanc. Still, gays' applitns for clearance are sctized more closely than heterosexuals'.

Acrdg to a statement given to the prs last June by DoD, homosexualy is "a relevant factor a termatn of whether a person is reliable and tstworthy.... Barriers to Secury Clearanc for Gay Men and Lbians: Fear of Blackmail or Fear of Homosexuals? Feral polici nied secury clearanc to lbians and gay men until the 1980s and subjected gay applints to tsive qutng about their sex liv until the 1990s.

Admistrators argued that homosexuals ma poor risks bee of their sceptibily to blackmail, but the ernment has never ma a strong public se for that claim. The urts rejected a charge of immoraly as a legimate basis for firg gay feral employe by the mid-1970s, but they ferred to admistrative expertise on the issue of secury risks even though arguments about blackmail and immoraly have always been tertwed.