[antiRepublicrat]

The military has the right to select and treat those wanting to serve in a way that most contributes to the military's effectiveness.

I know. That's the argument that was used to keep blacks out or banish them to separate units or menial jobs only. It was bad for unit cohesion, not because blacks were somehow deficient in good soldiering, but because of the perceptions and prejudices of the whites in the unit.

[WOSG]

"The military has the right to select and treat those wanting to serve in a way that most contributes to the military's effectiveness."

This original point I made stands. If people are just creating excuses to hide prejudice or false perceptions, that is not a valid reason to exclude people acting in a particular way. People should be excluded only if their inclusion harms effectiveness of the organization. DADT seems a reasonable compromise to focus on that.
BTW, the analogy of black=gay is one the gay activists like to use to morally intimidate their opponents, but it doesnt stand scrutiny.