since I saw that Dave mentioned "Don't ask , don't tell":

Quote:

[qb]The Price of Not Telling

How ironic that the 10th anniversary of the military's dreadful "don't ask, don't tell" policy fell just months after the U.S. Supreme Court forcefully overturned state laws criminalizing consensual sex between homosexuals. A majority of the high court recognizes what pollsters find, that "straight" Americans have grown more tolerant toward homosexuality. But not the military brass.

Because of alleged national security concerns, the military continues to operate with a harshness and bias against homosexuals that the Constitution otherwise would bar. As the justices said of laws wrongly targeting gays, they create a "lifelong penalty and stigma … that cannot be reconciled with the Equal Protection Clause." So why does it serve a democracy to exempt its military from the progress of civilian society?

The "don't ask, don't tell, don't pursue, don't harass" law, which President Clinton signed Nov. 30, 1993, lets gay men and lesbians serve without expulsion or harassment so long as they keep their sexual orientation secret and do not engage in sex. From the start, however, the policy was a compromise of expediency and timidity designed to placate Pentagon chiefs fearful that gays would undermine unit cohesion. While the armed forces showed they could overcome great obstacles in the ranks over race and gender — indeed, they have been trailblazers of social equality in these areas — hypocrisy has held with "don't ask, don't tell."

Its unintended consequences have cost this nation and thousands of gay men and women dearly. The all-volunteer services, already stretched thin, can ill afford to lose competent soldiers. But many gays and lesbians find military life more uncomfortable after "don't ask, don't tell," especially in comparison with the civilian world, where strong anti-discrimination laws prevail. Many of the 10,000 gay soldiers and officers who departed the military in the last decade asked for discharge, telling commanders that escalating harassment from suspicious fellow soldiers made them fear for their safety. Among those gone: seven Arabic specialists whose invaluable skills are scarce these days.

The gay ban weakens rather than strengthens bonds between soldiers. It fails to recognize that homosexuals can adhere to military codes and conduct their private lives appropriately. The ban, which fosters dissembling over honesty, erodes the mutual trust essential to an effective fighting force. Three retired officers — two generals and an admiral — who this month disclosed that they are gay described the ban's painful personal toll. "I was denied the opportunity to share my life with a loved one," said retired Rear Adm. Alan M. Steinman, "to have a family, to do all the things that heterosexual Americans take for granted. I didn't even tell my family I was gay until I retired."

Gay men and women have served with honor in the military, many keeping their orientation secret, others with tacit acknowledgment from comrades and officers. A decade is long enough to conclude that "don't ask, don't tell" is as unjustified in theory as it is unworkable in practice.[/qb]