Homosexuals in the Military

Homosexuals in the Military

The current policy regarding homosexuals in the military today does not allow homosexuals to serve without reference to their sexual orientation, even though they have been serving secretly throughout history. A homosexual in today’s military must either lie to remain a part of the military or admit homosexuality and be discharged. Therefore, homosexuals should be allowed to serve in the military without having their sexual orientation be a detrimental factor.

Homosexuals should have the right to serve in the military because their sexual orientation does not hinder their ability to complete the same tasks that heterosexual members accomplish. According to Diane Silver in her book The New Civil War: The Lesbian and Gay Struggle for Civil Rights, Individuals should solely be judged on their action and behaviors rather than their sexual preferences in the military (97). C. Dixon Osburn, a lawyer with the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network explains that sexual orientation should not be used to judge members, rather they should be judged by their abilities to accomplish tasks successfully (Silver 105). According to author, Richard L. Worsnop in an article titled “Are gays and lesbians seeking equal rights or “special” rights?” Congressional Quarterly, Inc. 1993, Judge Terry J. Hatter Jr. explains the discharge and discrimination of homosexuals in the United States military are based on stereotypes and proven false. An article, “Breaking Into the Ranks” by Pamela Brogan dated 1993, reports some of these stereotypes were prevalent in a study conducted in the Netherlands. This particular study found that 54 % of military men would prefer not to share a two person tent with a homosexual man, 47 percent would not like to go out to bars with homosexual men, 39% would prefer to sit next to a non-homosexual man, 36% believed that homosexual mean were not fit for any type of important positions and 14% stated they would