Jene Newsome Discharged from Air Force After Outed as Being a Lesbian by Rapid City, Ia., Police

Jene Newsome, a lesbian Air Force sergeant, honorably discharged after Rapid City Police outed her during a search for her partner on theft charges.

Jene Newsome, a lesbian Air Force sergeant stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base in Rapid City, Ia., says she was honorably discharged because of her sexual orientation. What's worst, she claims she was outed by the Rapid City Police department after officers, searching for her partner, who was wanted on a warrant for theft, saw an Iowa marriage certificate in her home and told the nearby base. The American Civil Liberties Union and Newsome have filed a complaint against the police department, claiming the officers violated her right to privacy when they told the base about her sexual orientation. What she does in the privacy of her own home is her business and the police had no right to tell whoever they spoke to at the base that she was a lesbian, particularly since the military is governed by the "don't ask, don't tell" rule.

Still, everyone is focusing on Ms. Newsome plight, but it is quite obvious that her partner has been accused of a serious crime and that should not fade away in the background. She is currently out on bail on one felony and three misdemeanor counts of theft.  According to media reports, the police department said Newsome was not cooperative when they went to her home in November with an arrest warrant for her partner, who was wanted on theft charges in Fairbanks, Alaska. She reportedly said she was at work on the base at the time and refused to immediately come home and assist them in finding her partner. Why was the marriage certificate on the table or did the cops enter her home without her knowledge? Most married couples usually have that stashed among their important documents and not lying around. Police Chief Steve Allender said, in a statement sent to the Associated Press, the license was relevant to the investigation because it showed both the relationship and residency of the two women.

"It's an emotional issue and it's unfortunate that Newsome lost her job, but I disagree with the notion that our department might be expected to ignore the license, or not document the license, or withhold it from the Air Force once we did know about it," Allender said Saturday. "It was a part of the case, part of the report and the Air Force was privileged to the information." He said his department does not seek to expose gay military personnel or investigate the sexuality of Rapid City residents. Allender said the department was finishing its internal investigation and has determined the officers acted appropriately. They have not been placed on leave during the investigation.

In the complaint filed last month with the department, ACLU South Dakota said police had no legal reason to tell the military Newsome was a lesbian and that officers knew if they did, it would jeopardize her military career. Newsome, who was discharged in January, said she didn't know where the marriage license was in her home when police came to her house on Nov. 20 and claims the officers were retaliating because she wouldn't help with her partner's arrest.

Outing this woman was just plain wrong. In my opinion, they could have waited until she came home from work to speak with her. That seems to have been a deliberate act by the police officers invovled to force this woman to speak with them. According to the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, more than 13,500 service members have been discharged under the law since 1994.