US army charges troops in gay porn scandal

The US army has brought charges against seven paratroopers from the elite 82nd Airborne Division after they allegedly appeared having sex on a gay pornography website.

Three of the soldiers face courts-martial, where they will be charged with sodomy and engaging in sex acts for money. Four others have received so-called non-judicial punishments. The army has recommended that all seven men be discharged from the service.

The military-themed website was apparently run from an address in the North Carolina city of Fayetteville, which adjoins the 82nd Airborne's headquarters at Fort Bragg. The operator of the website has yet to comment.

A spokesman for the 82nd, Major Thomas Earnhardt, said: "It's isolated to the unit, and our investigation determined that these seven individuals were the only ones."

Steve Ralls, a spokesman for Servicemembers Legal Defence Network, which helps gays and lesbians in the military, said: "I'm not going to make excuses for service members who are taking part in sexual conduct for money."