Gay Soldier "Outed" by Anonymous E-Mail Dismissed from the Army

Bleu Copas, 30, told the Associated Press that although he is gay, he never told his superiors in the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, NC, so he didn’t think anyone would ever know. But Copas said he was "outed" by an anonymous person who sent e-mails to his superiors. "I knew the policy going in," Copas said in an interview. "I knew it was going to be difficult."

A spokesman for the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network said that the "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" policy is becoming "a very effective weapon of vengeance in the armed forces." The policy was established in 1993, and it prohibits the military from asking about the sex lives of service members, but the military is required to discharge any soldiers who openly acknowledge being gay. Since its inception, the policy has been challenged by several watchdog groups who have continually worked to have it repealed.

Last May Copas was appointed to the 82nd Airborne’s All-American Chorus, and shortly afterward, the first e-mail was sent to the chorus director. Copas told the AP that the director took everyone into the hallway and told them about the e-mail that had just been sent, and he asked, "Which one of you are gay?" Copas complained to his platoon sergeant, saying that being questioned in that way violated the terms of the "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" policy. The chorus director and his sergeant said they would "watch it" in the future, and then they specifically asked him, "Well, you aren’t gay, are you?" Copas told them no.

A short time later, the e-mails began specifically naming Copas. The Army investigated the allegations for eight months, at the end of which Copas was honorably discharged, without being able to serve out his full four years. Copas had enlisted in the Army right after 9/11, he told the AP, because of a strong sense of duty to his country. He is proficient in Arabic, having graduated from the Defense Language Institute in California. Col. James Zellmer, Copas’ commanding officer in the 313th military intelligence battalion, told the AP that although investigators were never able to determine who was accusing Copas, "the nature and the volume of the evidence and Sgt. Copas’s own sworn statement led me to discharge him."

Military investigators, in their case files, wrote that Copas "engaged in at least three homosexual relationships, and is dealing with at least two jealous lovers, either of whom could be the anonymous source providing this information." The anonymous accuser signed his e-mails "John Smith," or "ftbraggman," and told the recipients that the military must take action against Copas or "I will inform your entire battalion of the information that I gave you." Copas believes the accuser is someone he mistakenly befriended and apparently offended in some way.

On December 2, military investigators formally interviewed Copas and asked him if he had any close friends who were gay, if he was involved in a community theater, and whether or not he understood the "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" policy. Copas said yes to all their questions until they asked him, "Have you ever engaged in homosexual activity or conduct?" At that point he asked for a lawyer, and the interrogation ceased. Zellmer said that Copas was found to have violated the military’s policy on homosexuals because "the evidence clearly indicated that Sgt. Copas had engaged in homosexual acts."

Copas told the AP that he accepted the honorable discharge simply to end the ordeal, to avoid lying about his sexuality and risking a perjury charge, and to keep his friends out of the spotlight. He received honorary discharge papers that list his awards and citations so he will have documented proof of his military service for prospective employers. But the discharge papers also state the reason for his dismissal. He plans to appeal to the Army Board for Correction of Military Records.