Quote Originally Posted by G Martin View Post
Banning gays from the military doesn't only have to be about religious reasons or an aversion to their sexual conduct. As the military requires a measure of conformity and thus the recognition of "norms"- openly serving homosexuals in many instances would elevate an individual above the organization and force the organization to tolerate, accept, or ignore behavior and/or lifestyles that are still outside of what is considered normal- both within U.S. society, world opinion, and within military culture.

Whether or not a military institution should be that insular and uniform is another subject, but suffice it to say that most professional armies today- and in known history- took on a certain culture of their own which helped to overcome the natural tendency of the individual to run and hide or attack (fight or flight response). This allowed a level of discipline that could be very lethal under the right conditions (usually mainly leadership). Upsetting this culture could be detrimental in many instances. Since combat is all about dealing death- most people in positions of leadership have been wary to force changes that could lead to casualties and/or loss of capability.

So, in short- the thought is that a small group of humans given a mission that chances death, requires a high degree of trust in a short amount of time in order to have the greatest chance of success. The easiest way to build trust is through shared experiences and hardship. If this group starts out with a shared understanding of priorities and purpose- then they can "gell" even faster. Shared norms and culture are a part of this understanding. The more differences these groups have to overcome to arrive at a shared level of understanding, the harder and longer it takes to build trust. Sure, one combat action may overcome all of that- but who wants to take the chance it doesn't, or that many die trying to get there- possibly due to the lack of a common shared beginning?

Talking to our allies' officers, I have found a few curious comments that seem to be pretty uniform:

1) Most gays don't come out even when the policies are changed due to the stigma in the society that still exists regardless of the military's policy and because in combat units at the small-unit level- conformity is the strongest influence on all members.

2) They have a huge problem with "predatory lesbians", although you'd never hear that due to it being politically-incorrect to do so. Suffice it to say that many young females who fall under higher-ranking, usually NCO, lesbians, are coerced to have relationships with other women. Even though this is against the policy of these armies no matter the sexual persuasion of the offender- because it has to do with women and homosexuals, it is a more difficult issue, especially when men in authority have to deal with it. The one solution I have heard a lot is that they bring in outside women officers to break the behavior up/do investigations.

So, in conclusion, I think any issue which could potentially affect the military's raison d'être- to defend the nation's interests- no matter how unfair it may seem to some- should be looked at very carefully and those in positions of influence should favor the side of caution, since lives are on the line.
Excellent comments. I think the same could be said for allowing "religious/ ethnic " groups their own ceremonies, rites, customs and culture as a subset of the Military Profession.