A Special Agent: Gay and Inside the FBI

Rating:
Summary: Sept. 6th, 1999 -- A GREAT Book !
Review: I am three-quarters towards the end of this book, and I have found it fascinating from the start. Written matter-of-factly by the author and plaintiff in a milestone lawsuit against the FBI's policy of discriminating against those of "Alternative Sexualities" -- it is incredibly well written, and includes a lot of personal information concerning Frank Buttino's strong character. He is obviously a man of integridy - one who endured great personal sacrifices in order to serve his country and pretend to be something which he is not, for TWENTY YEARS. I have lived in New Orleans before, which is supposedly a Gay-Friendly area, and I have seen many examples of how people's civil rights are violated in this country over petty, superficial issues that have nothing to do with a person's ability and intelligence. Until then, I thought I was open-minded, now I know I am. I picked this book up at an overstocks store in NYC, and I cannot put it down. The author has been through an amazing personal, professional, and public struggle in order to keep his dignity. I for one salut him, and would recommend this book for all members of Government, Law Enforcement, and Journalists. The laymen can also get a small sense of what it is like to put your life on the line in order to help others, only to be banished for not being what the G-men want you to be. This is a compelling story. Read it and you will understand. The only drawback ? No photos !!

Rating:
Summary: Gripping, tragic, riveting-read. We need a second edition!
Review: September 2004

As the chapters in the book fly by, you will feel like you are on a train hurtling toward another train: you know it is not going to end well. A gay man, Frank Buttino, who worked as a Special Agent for 20 years is "outed" first to his parents and second to the FBI by the mysterious letter-writing "W.J." The FBI consequently revokes Frank's top-security clearance and fires him.

You learn that Frank had grown up trusting the government without question and had often viewed issues in black or white terms. That kind of thinking, and his belief in law and order, naturally attracted him to a career in law. Knowing that he had a stellar career as an FBI agent, you will cringe at some of the ironic and almost pathetic details:

* A mere letter and $1500 cash award (what is that after taxes?) for helping crack one of the toughest FBI cases.
* The irony of being interrogated by a woman and a young Latino man of the FBI's Office of Professional Responsibility ("OPR"). Oddly, at the time, the OPR was investigating one case involving a homosexual FBI employee each week.
* Although common criminals have the right to an attorney, the FBI regulations prohibited Frank from having an attorney present during his administrative inquiry and at the signing of his statement as a result of the inquiry.
* The legal counsel of the FBI Agents Association explained to Frank that "a number of our members throughout the country would not want their membership fees spent defending a gay agent." Sad, given that the FBI pledges to enforce the civil rights of others.

These ironic and sad details play out against Frank's personal journey toward acceptance of who he is. In Chapter 2, Frank acknowledges, after having his first sexual experience with a man, that he started to add bricks to a wall that he had been building since his youth. He is given advice later in his life that he cannot forget: "Failure to accept his homosexuality could eventually lead to self-destructive behavior." Frank soon begins to take down the bricks, one by one, and as he does so, he turns to others for acceptance--namely, his parents. Not wanting to hurt his parents, Frank was very reluctant to come out to them. One of Frank's friend advised, "They're a lot stronger than you think. They love you, and their love for you will allow them to understand and accept you." (They did.)

At the end of the book, you will want to call Frank and ask questions like:

1. Did he ever find out who the mysterious "W.J." is and what was his motivation? Was it someone in the FBI? Did Frank know "W.J."?
2. Did Frank ever find out who broke into his house, vandalized his solarium or took his mail from his post office box?
3. What ever happened to "Brian," his long-time military boyfriend? (Frank wrote, "Though I think we both knew we would never be lifelong partners, neither of us seemed able to say good-bye for good.")
4. What ever happened to the aggressive, bizarre polygraph examiner, Bill Teigen, who LIED to Frank?
5. Where is Richard Gayer, the attorney who wrote the book on gay people and security clearances, and helped Frank? (He is in Phoenix, AZ. (retired?) and no longer an active member of the California bar.)
6. How is Frank's back doing? He had back pain so severe, he could not do what he loved: run with his dog, Rusty, in the San Diego canyons.
7. Where is Tracy Merritt, the Department of Justice attorney, who represented the FBI against Frank Buttino? (A Washington D.C. bar attorney search does not come up with anything.)
8. Where is Mitch Grobeson, the LA police officer, who filed anti-gay discrimination charges against the LAPD, around the same time as Frank's case? (See http://www.sgtmitch.com/)
9. Where is openly-gay San Diego Police Officer John Graham now? (He is still working for the San Diego police and patrolling the Gaslamp quarter in San Diego.)
10. What ever happened to Saundra Brown Armstrong, the judge appointed by the first President Bush, who ruled against the FBI on its motion for summary judgment? (She is still judge for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Did you know that she was also the first African-American policewoman in 1970?)
11. What ever became of Mike Fitzgerald, the young attorney, who legally helped Frank for free? (He has his own law firm, Corbin & Fitzgerald LLP, in Los Angeles.)
12. If Frank were a young agent today and had the possibility of joining the FBI as a Special Agent, would he do it?


"Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity." --Horace Mann

Frank, who joined the FBI in 1969 because he was idealistic and was answering the call to "do something for America," can certainly die without shame. In fact, Frank helped others more than he probably knows--other gay and lesbian agents who would come up in the ranks behind him would have it a little easier because Frank did not avoid the confrontation and did not go away quietly.

Thank you, Frank, for this victory.