'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Repeal: Welcome to the Brave New Military

Barney Frank agrees with a Pentagon assessment that with the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ there should be no distinctions between gay and straight service members, that indeed, they should be forced shower together. But at the same time Conressman Frank and the Pentagon also say that members of the opposite sex should NOT shower together. What gives?

Having been told that sexuality or sexual preference is not the issue, why this inconsistency?

Gays are obviously attracted to their own gender, heterosexuals to the opposite. If it seems unreasonable to put heterosexuals in a circumstance where sexual attraction enters into the mix (i.e. showering together) why is it less so with homosexuals? If male and female soldiers voluntarily choose to do it, why not let them?

And what is to constitute unacceptable behavior in the post DADT world? Say a soldier, who is publicly gay, is attracted to someone else in their unit. What constitutes unacceptable behavior? Flirting? Winking? Staring at them in the shower? If the target of their attraction gets angry and retaliates, who is at fault? Remember, these are 19 and 20 year-old males in many cases. Put a 19-year-old heterosexual in the showers with female recruits and see how things go. My guess would be not well at all, at least as far as unit cohesion is concerned.

The experience of desegregating the military more than 50 years ago will offer no help here. That was discrimination based on physical appearance. We are in this instance talking about behaviors, sexual behaviors, that are often highly emotional and sensitive subjects. We can’t merely wish them away. Nor can the armed forces “order” people to ignore them. Human nature doesn’t work that way.

So welcome to the new world of military politics. My fear is that in the post-DADT world there is will be less and less emphasis on creating warriors, and more concerns about emotional matters, sensitizing people, etc. More counselors and specialists will be brought into the military to cope with sexual mores and politics. Welcome to our Brave New Military.