Ousted gay military getting unequal pay

ALBUQUERQUE (AP) - The American Civil Liberties Union is suing the federal government over a Department of Defense policy of cutting separation pay for people discharged from the military for homosexuality.

The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in U.S. Court of Federal Claims in Washington, D.C.

It seeks full pay for former Air Force Staff Sgt. Richard Collins and others affected by the policy.

Collins was honorably discharged in 2006 after civilians who worked with him at eastern New Mexico's Cannon Air Force Base saw him kiss his boyfriend.

The ACLU says Collins was miles from the base, off duty and out of uniform at the time.

The lawsuit is not a general challenge to the military's so-called don't ask, don't tell policy, but instead focuses on separation pay.