Allowing openly gay men to serve in these areas of the military would make maintaining solely professional relationships more difficult. Since there are gays currently in the military, there are already inter-personnel relationships on board all-male ships and within combat units. Allowing openly gay men in could only increased the number. The added amount of tension this would cause would be another worry and burden for officers and senior enlisted personnel who already must act as guidance counselors for their men.

These concerns are not based on any of the ignorant perceptions about homosexuals that are so commonly heard now. Rather, they are rooted in human nature: an openly gay man serving among other men in cramped quarters for will be a disruptive force. Similarly, a few women living and working amongst a mostly male unit would likely disturb unit relations.

Though the debate over gays in the military has been compared frequently to that over the integration of Blacks, the more relevant comparison is the still continuing debate over women in the military. Currently, women are not allowed on combat ships, submarines or in combat units.

The military, as the protector of national interests, is not obligated to be non-discriminatory. It is only obligated to provide sound reasoning behind its discrimination.

No one disputes, for example, that a blind individual should be denied admittance to the military. On balance, there is no sound reason for banning gays from the entire military.

The ban on gays should be lifted immediately, but there are areas of military service that should be kept off limits to open homosexuals, at least temporarily. At the same time, however, certain ships, submarines and combat units should be selected as trial units in which open gays are allowed; the same should be done for women.

We could thus determine once and for all whether sexuality is to disruptive a force to openly inject into all areas of the armed forces, or whether, like much else in the military, it can be managed with strict discipline and regulation.