by Bill Stone

Created on: January 29, 2010

The Obama administration is considering enacting legislation that would end the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy in the U.S. Armed Forces.  But before we can have a wholesale repeal of that policy, we must examine what the consequences are for military service members all over the world, not just in the United States.  We need to understand how unit cohesion and camaraderie will be impacted by this change. 

Traditionally, military forces are segregated based on sex for things like quarters and bathroom/shower facilities.  This arrangement allows same-sex members to feel comfortable around each other without feeling insecure about possible sexual attraction.  Segregated bathroom facilities, dormitories and living quarters, locker rooms in gyms, etc. are all commonplace in the military, just as they are in American society today.  If we were to allow openly gay men to serve in the military, we couldn't expect them to use the same bathroom facilities as straight men, just as we couldn't expect lesbians to share bathroom and shower facilities with straight women, or straight men and women to share the same showers.  Facilities changes would need to take place at every military installation worldwide which would either add more bathroom facilities, or make all bathroom facilities co-ed, all of which will incur major cost burdens to an already cash-strapped military.  We currently segregate men and women in their bathroom facilities.  If you don't segregate straight men from gay men, you now have to deal with straight men who feel uncomfortable showering with, or sleeping in shared quarters with, men who may not just see them as soldiers, but as objects of sexual desire.  This is the primary reason why we do not have co-ed shower or bathroom facilities in the military today.  Military men and women understand that those feelings and desires must be tabled while accomplishing the mission.  Gays and lesbians certainly have that same capability.  But men and women must also feel comfortable that those issues do not exist within the ranks of their own gender.  Those feelings have their place.  The battlefield is not one of them, and neither is the dorms or the showers.

Oftentimes, military field assignments take place in close quarters, with little personal privacy available.  Allowing openly gay men to serve with straight men would add tension and unrest to the entire unit, which impacts unit

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