“And because of the way the small units are, it goes unchecked.” “I don’t tolerate racism or bigotry, and for some reason, that line of work attracts some people that are like that,” Jones said. A few of them took issue with working alongside a gay man, Jones said. Many, like himself, are former members of special-operations units. The anti-gay comments came from a group of contractors and civil servants in the CIA’s Global Response Staff, Jones said. The atmosphere was so toxic that he feared for his safety and had to return home early, he said. Supreme Court ruling that struck down bans on same-sex marriage. A former Navy SEAL who gained national attention for a memoir about being gay in one of the military’s elite communities has filed a complaint, saying he was the victim of homophobic bullying during a June deployment as a CIA contractor.īrett Jones says when he arrived at his outpost in an undisclosed location in Afghanistan on June 11, he was forced to endure anti-gay bullying, including homophobic slurs, a crass PowerPoint presentation, and snide comments as people watched the news about the U.S.