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Ex-academy prof claims reprimand for gay talk

DENVER — A former Air Force Academy instructor said Thursday she was disciplined and barred from teaching after inviting three gay academy graduates to speak to one of her classes about the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.

Edie Disler said she was given a “letter of counseling” stating she should have gotten her department head’s approval beforehand. Disler said there was no such requirement in place at the time.

Disler said her punishment was meant to “send a strong message to the faculty that this topic will not be discussed by someone in uniform.”

Academy spokesman John Van Winkle said the policy to get approval was in place at the time and that Disler was disciplined for not following that rule.

Van Winkle said the academy routinely invites speakers on controversial topics.

“We don’t shy away from controversial topics or speakers, but we are going to make sure individuals who are coming in are coming in for the right reason at the right time,” he said.

The Palm Center, a think tank at the University of California, Santa Barbara that specializes in gays and the military, released details of Disler’s case Thursday along with a copy of the letter of counseling sent to Disler.

Disler, who now lives in Austin, Texas, confirmed the authenticity of the letter for The Associated Press.

Disler was an Air Force lieutenant colonel with 25 years of service at the time of the incident in November. She retired in June and said that was planned before she was disciplined.

Disler said the three people she invited to her class were members of the Blue Alliance, an organization of gay and lesbian academy graduates. They spoke to her class on “Language, Literature and Leadership” for about 10 minutes.

She said she checked with another lieutenant colonel who designed the course, and that officer approved the appearance.

But Van Winkle said it was also Disler’s responsibility to check with the department head.

“She did violate policy that did exist at that time and still exists today,” he said.

Van Winkle said the school began an investigation after cadets in the class complained, and that Disler was removed from the classroom during the probe. He said the semester ended before the investigation was complete.

Disler was not scheduled to teach the next semester because of her impending retirement.

Disler said the order to stay out of the classroom was routine for those being investigated, but she believes the investigation itself was an unusually harsh reaction.

“My guess was part of them deciding to do an investigation was to get me pulled from the classroom,” she said. “It is in effect punitive.”

She described the letter of counseling as a low-level discipline but unusual for an officer of her rank and experience.

The letter, signed by Brig. Gen. Dana Born, the academy’s faculty dean, said the appearance by the Blue Alliance members “complied with the course objectives and the standards of classroom activities.”

It said, however, that Disler “failed to meet the standards of professional conduct” by not getting approval. The letter also criticized her for “not recognizing that negative publicity could follow” the appearance.

It said Disler also risked creating a perception that the academy had taken a position that contradicted the official “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.