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As I strive understand the deeper implications of your argument, I wonder if I am too facile about the issue.

Most of the posts on this thread are too facile. Yours are just a different strain. ;-)

Seriously, though, the danger here is not in being ogled and stalked at the PX by a man-hungry paratrooper. That's a caracature of an arguement. The military has plenty of razor sharp regulations to defeat unwanted advances from other servicemembers, and those work against *any* gender combination.

The problem is that it will turn a dislike of homosexual lifestyle into a thoughtcrime that can limit, slow, or end your career. To elaborate on the real danger of this; one of the best soldiers I ever worked with is a devout but quiet Christian. Aside from being a fearless-bordering-on-reckless soldier who's risked his life numerous times, I've never heard him utter the word 'homo', and he treats everyone with respect, regardless of what he thinks of their life choices. He's the model of a devout, moral man who can be both tough and honorable for his country.

That said.

If it was two weeks to his retirement date, he would resign rather than give a briefing to junior troops on treasuring the value of the homosexual lifestyle. A rare type, sure, but the passing of him and guys like him wouldn't go unnoticed.

Some guys will keep their mouths shut, obey and not reenlist. Their families will turn away from enlisting or reenlisting.

Others will play the game, but feel bad about it.

A few will relish the opportunity to use a sensitive topic as a weapon in the war to advance their careers.

Many, truth be told, will zealously do what they need to do to ensure that they they hit their 20 years. Having to pretend to like homosexual lifestyles isn't even scratching the surface of what some guys would do to get to retirement.

There won't be any point in arguing about it. Any type of resistance will come back to haunt you when it's time for evals. So, we won't know for sure the effect it will have until four years later, when the reenlistment rates are examined.

Will we recruit enough gays to offset who we would lose?

Will these gay troops be the valiant, idealistic types who fight and die for God, country and family?