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MARK L. BAKKE'S
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REPLY #5 TO
"MILITARY"
Boldfaced statements are parts of the original essay (or a subsequent reply) to which the respondent has directed his comments.
 Italicized/emphasized comments prefaced by (R) are those of the respondent and are presented unedited. My replies appear under the respondent's comments in blue text and are prefaced by my initials (MB). (R) I too am in the Army. I believe that you are leaning towards the notion that homosexuality is indeed a behavioral flaw, which in my opinion it is. Does this behavioral flaw affect performance in a military situation? I think not, as long as the person keeps it to themselves. Just as male/ female relations in the military should go by the wayside, so should male / male, etc. But people will do what they want behind closed doors. Basically, I'd rather have a competent gay General leading me than an incompetent straight General. (MB) Obviously, one wants competent people. Yet, one could use that same argument to dispute any of the various regulations which prevent or restrict military service by all sorts of people -- such as those who are overweight, unable to pass PT, too old, too tall, unable to attain necessary security clearances, illegal aliens, and so on. There are certainly many people in each of these categories who might well be competent. Yet, the regulations are in place because, in the large majority of cases, these things will make it extremely difficult to have a successful career. In the case of homosexuality, the facts are that gays have significantly more health problems than do heterosexuals. This will happen whether or not they keep their homosexuality to themselves and will result in more time during which they will be unable to perform their duties. This will have a negative impact on the performance of the entire unit. Also, the general stigma that accompanies homosexuality has a negative impact on the morale of a unit. Any time I've been in a unit where there was an open (or strongly suspected) homosexual soldier, it has been a uniformly negative situation. I agree with you that one's sexual preferences should be their own business. But, one can't deny the facts of the situation as concerns homosexual service members. So long as the Gay Lobby continues to aggressively promote the lifestyle over and above everything else, I don't see much changing in the near future.
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