GAYS IN THE MILITARY . . . GO AHEAD AND TELL

A federal appeals court ruled the armed forces can't bar homosexuals based solely on their statements that they are gay -- a move that could chip away at the Clinton Administration's ostrich-like "don't ask, don't tell" policy. The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a federal judge's reinstatement of Petty Officer Keith Meinhold, who had been denied re-enlistment after disclosing his homosexuality on television.Instead, only a statement that shows a "concrete, fixed or expressed desire to engage in homosexual acts despite their being prohibited" should be grounds for involuntary discharge. The ruling stopped short of banning military discrimination based on sexual orientation.