The "don't ask don't tell" policy towards homosexuals in the US armed forces is being reviewed following the harassment and brutal murder of an allegedly gay soldier in an army base.
The policy has also become an issue in the presidential election as the two Democratic candidates, the Vice-President, Mr Al Gore, and Mr Bill Bradley, have announced that they would allow gay members of the military to serve openly without discrimination.
The present policy means that members of the military are not questioned about their sexual orientation but gays who display their homosexuality are dismissed. President Clinton in his first election campaign had promised to end the ban on gays serving in the military, but the chiefs of staff objected that removing the ban would be detrimental to discipline and morale.
The "don't ask don't tell" policy was accepted as a compromise but gay and lesbian organisations claim it has resulted in increasing harassment.
Matters have come to a head following the murder at Fort Campbell in Kentucky of a gay soldier, Private Barry Winchell, who was beaten to death with a baseball bat while he slept. Evidence at the trial of his assailant revealed that Private Winchell's superiors had allowed him to be harassed for weeks without taking any action.
Last week, Ms Hillary Rodham Clinton criticised the present policy while campaigning for a Senate seat in New York, where there is a strong gay and lesbian vote. She said fitness to serve in the military should not be based on sexual orientation.
Mr Clinton joined in at a press conference when he said the present policy was "out of whack".
The Secretary of Defence, Mr William Cohen, then announced that the Pentagon would carry out a 90-day review of the policy towards gays by spot checks to assess the "human relations climate" at military bases.
Mr Gore has now joined in the calls for a change and has openly denounced the official policy of the administration.
His rival, Mr Bradley, has called for such a change since the beginning of his campaign while Mr Gore had supported better implementation of the present policy.
A Republican candidate, Senator John McCain, has called Mr Clinton's criticism of the present policy as "inappropriate".
Gay and lesbian organisations say that harassment in the armed forces has increased under the present policy and that 1,149 gays were discharged last year for violating the ban. Supporters of the ban say that this is because homosexuals are no longer screened out when recruited.