Homosexuals and the Military
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Sen. Dan Coats (Column Right, March 28) is quick to lean on anecdotal “images of military life” to support his views on the dangers of lifting the military ban on gays and lesbians. Like Coats, I conducted my own, limited survey: I called my father, a retired 27-year career Air Force officer, and asked his opinion on the matter. “It seems like homophobia to me,” my father announced without hesitation.
Still, for a more objective military perspective, the senator should read the Defense Department’s own 1989 PERSEREC report, which concluded that gay men and lesbians “can function appropriately in military units.” The military’s facade of unanimity is shattered by this and other, earlier reports (many destroyed or “lost”) all showing that there is no rational basis for excluding gay men and lesbians from military service.
CHRISTOPHER HARTLEY
Los Angeles
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