The New York Times

Friday, June 9, 2000

Gay Pride Day Is Observed by About 60 C.I.A. Workers

By CHRISTOPHER MARQUIS

WASHINGTON, June 8 -- The Central Intelligence Agency held a gay pride celebration on its secretive campus in Langley, Va., on Tuesday and invited Representative Barney Frank, an openly gay member of Congress, to give a keynote speech.

About 60 gay employees of the C.I.A. were joined by a busload of intelligence workers from the National Security Agency for the event, which also drew top officials, including George J. Tenet, the director of central intelligence, Mr. Frank said.

Mr. Frank, a Massachusetts Democrat, said the event at the headquarters of an agency known for its conservatism signaled how far gay government workers had come under President Clinton. In 1995, Mr. Clinton ended an Eisenhower-era executive order that automatically denied security clearances to gay people.

"I think it's indicative of the improvement of the atmosphere that Bill Clinton has ushered in," Mr. Frank said of the event, which was first reported today in The Washington Post. "People increasingly understand that the prejudice against gay people is just silly."

Mr. Frank, who is a member of the House Judiciary and Banking Committees, said he joked about his longstanding efforts to slash the C.I.A.'s budget and have it declassified.

"Let me be clear," the congressman said he told the crowd. "I've not only been trying to cut your budget, I've been trying to out your budget."

The gay intelligence workers first organized in 1996 to form the Agency Network of Gay and Lesbian Employees, and were given formal recognition last year by the agency's Office of Equal Employment Opportunities.

Mr. Tenet welcomed Mr. Frank and three gay staff members to the agency and, Mr. Frank said, told the group that he was glad strictures against hiring gays had ended. Mr. Tenet could not be immediately reached for comment tonight.

"He told me they were recruiting very actively and he was glad there was no artificial barrier on whom they could recruit," Mr. Frank said.

In the 1950's, gay employees were routed from sensitive positions in various federal agencies, including the State Department and the National Security Agency, because they were presumed to be security risks.

In 1991, the C.I.A. decided that sexual orientation could be taken into account when making hiring decisions, but did not automatically rule out hiring gays.