Darkside Rainbow

No, really - I’d like to see any edition of a thesaurus that gives justification for the Pentagon linking gay advocacy groups with terrorism. “Gay” and “terrorist” aren’t synonymous, or anywhere close. I was steaming when I first found out about the Pentagon database tracking anti-war and gay groups for possible terrorist activity, and while I’m glad that they’re shutting down that database, reading about it again roused a remnant of that ire.

Pentagon Shuts Database Linked To Spying On Gay Groups - 365gay.com

(Washington) The Pentagon said Tuesday that it will shut down an anti-terror database that was found to be spying on gay and anti-war groups.

A Pentagon spokesperson said that the database will be closed on September 17 but that much of the information it contained will be sent to the FBI where it will be placed on a database known as Guardian.

The Threat and Local Observation Notices surveillance program, known as TALON, was launched in 2003 track and monitor domestic terror threats.

But it came under intense scrutiny after news reports revealed officials were collecting data on demonstrators and protestors, including those within the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

The reports said that the Pentagon had spied on New York University law school’s LGBT advocacy group OUTlaw and gay groups at the State University of New York at Albany, William Patterson College in New Jersey, and University of California at Berkeley and at Santa Cruz.

Pardon me for being a bit derisive here, but frankly the only reason a person’s sexuality should constitute a threat to national security is when you treat it in this fashion - rousing the anger of those scrutinized until they become critical enough of their governing bodies to foment dissent. Basically, it’s creating a problem by anticipating it, and it’s entirely self-defeating. Create a climate of oppression, and you also set the stage for eventual rebellion.

While I have extreme problems imagining any gay groups organizing terrorist efforts (not terror efforts, that drives me bloody nuts!) in protest of government surveillance based on sexuality, it illustrates my point: sexuality should not be of any interest to the United States government. If they don’t spy on people for being straight, why spy on people for being gay? Considering that the majority of terrorist efforts are concentrated in groups following a faith that strictly condemns homosexuality, you’d think heterosexuals would be more likely suspects and of a great deal more interest. Even saying that leaves me sputtering, though. Seriously, we’ve gone from racial profiling to sexual profiling?

What I want to know is why the information is being sent to the FBI and placed in this ‘Guardian’ database. That doesn’t sound like the government is ceasing its spying, but just shifting the responsibility for it. I’m rather mistrustful of their intentions, and of what they intend to do with the data. Granted, they did admit that the data was collected improperly and it no longer has any analytical value, but if that’s the case…

…why are they keeping it?

pentagon, fbi, anti-terrorism, counter-terrorism, gay advocacy, talon, guardian, spying, threat and local observation notices surveillance program