 
  
 
 
                    GAYS IN FOREIGN MILITARY FORCES
 
                         By  James Brantley
 
                             (c) 1993 
 
   Proponents of allowing homosexuals in the U.S. military point out that 
homosexuals are allowed in most of the armies of Western Europe, Israel, and 
some other nations. This argument is fallacious, because it uses the fact of 
the mere presence of homosexuals, rather than a determination of the success 
of their integration. 
  
   Western European military forces that allow homosexuals aren't comparable 
to the U.S. military, either in size, mission, history, or conditions of 
service. The United States has kept around two million men under arms, while 
many European militaries have under a hundred thousand men each. The United 
States has a voluntary military that has a four year enlistment, while Men in 
Western European countries are drafted for about a year. The United States 
has relative good discipline, while armies in some countries such as the 
Netherlands are fast slipping the reigns of traditional military discipline. 
Conscripts there are highly paid, and belong to a draftees union. Troops 
don't have to salute, have loose dress regulations, and are paid overtime 
pay. The United States has a world-wide military mission, and European armies 
don't. During the period that the policies regarding homosexuals were put in 
place, none of these nations could rely on their own armed forces to protect 
them from the Warsaw Pact. They relied on the U.S.armed forces for their 
national survival. Perhaps that's why they felt they had more freedom to toy 
with the social makeup of their armed forces.    
  
    The social conditions and laws regarding homosexuality are vastly 
different in some European countries from anything you would find in the 
United States. Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands have 
been pioneers in radical social legislation allowing people to do anything 
within reason. These countries have specific civil rights laws that guarantee 
equal rights for homosexuals in all areas of society. Thusly, the armed 
forces of these five countries have no choice about letting homosexuals in 
their ranks. The United States has no similar national civil rights law that 
prevents discrimination by sexual preference. In Denmark, homosexual troops 
can marry each other. This started in 1989 when Denmark passed a law allowing 
homosexual marriages. Since then, one out of five marriages in Denmark have 
been between homosexuals. At this writing, a proposal to allow homosexual 
marriages is in the Parliament of Norway, and is expected to pass. 
Homosexuals in Belgium, Sweden and the Netherlands are fighting for the right 
to marry also. Homosexuals in Sweden already fall under the same laws as 
single heterosexuals who cohabit. If homosexuals are allowed in the U.S. 
military, what happens if they are assigned to a NATO unit in one of these 
countries, and decide to either marry a local same sex citizen, or one of 
their own buddies?             
  
   Social and military differences aside, perhaps an argument using one of 
these countries as an example could gain some validity if homosexuals had 
been truly integrated, and were accepted by troops who are products of these 
very liberal societies. Evidence indicates that they are not accepted. If 
severe punishments are indicators of severe problems, Norway and Denmark must 
be finding it impossible to successfully integrate homosexuals. In Norway, 
soldiers who threaten, scorn, or spite homosexual soldiers are subject to 
stiff fines and up to two years in jail. In Denmark, harassing a homosexual 
will get you booted out of the military.            
  
   The Netherlands allowed homosexuals in it's military forces almost two 
decades ago, and still hasn't convinced it's soldiers to accept them. But 
it's not from lack of trying. The Netherlands has a very aggressive 
indoctrination program that tries to convince heterosexual troops that 
homosexuals are okay, and convince homosexuals to come out of the closet. All 
soldiers attend four days of sensitivity training and doctors, psychiatrists, 
and priests are given training to help homosexual troops come out of the 
closet. The troops are even given a fancy booklet on the acceptability of 
homosexuality in the military (see pictures). Have the troops bought the 
message? A Dutch Navy report released in 1991 indicates they haven't. The 
report states that Dutch sailors and Marines consider homosexuals to be 
inferior, and that there is widespread discrimination, verbal abuse, and some 
physical assaults against openly homosexual personnel. The report indicates 
that most homosexuals stay in the closet so they will be accepted by their 
peers, and not hurt their chances for promotions or assignments.          
  
  Five out of nine other Western European nations officially allow 
homosexuals in their military forces. These are Germany, France, Spain, 
Portugal and Switzerland. The French and German armed forces use every 
loophole possible to keep homosexuals out, or to get them out once they are 
in. In France, homosexuals who can show that homosexuality has rendered them 
"psychologically abnormal", or that they wouldn't be able to control their 
sexual urges, can be exempted from the draft. This excuse is routinely used 
and approved. Anyone that is already in the French military that is 
discovered to be  homosexual is referred to a doctor for examination, and his 
commander recommends that he resign. But he can't be forced to resign. 
  
   Homosexuals can avoid being drafted into the German Military by testifying 
that they wouldn't be able to control their sexual urges, or request 
alternative mandatory service. Although there is no official regulation, 
recruits discovered to be homosexual are routinely discharged. Discrimination 
against openly homosexual career officers and NCO's isn't a matter of 
individual spite, but official policy. The Bundeswehr withholds their 
promotions and limits their assignments because it says "homosexuals can not 
command adequate respect". The Swiss allow homosexuals to serve but forbid 
what they call "homosexual cliques". The Spanish officially consider 
sexuality a private matter, but unofficially, consider homosexuality unmanly 
and a disgrace. Open homosexuality can end an officers career.         
  
   Israel is used as a shining example of the successful integration of open 
homosexuals into an elite combat tested military force. But when we look at 
Israel, all we see is another dead end. Homosexuals have only been allowed in 
Israeli forces since 1988, and the military has formal authority to limit 
their use. Recruits who proclaim their homosexuality, or soldiers later found 
to be homosexual, must undergo psychological testing to determine if they can 
be accepted, or remain in the military. Those that are allowed to stay aren't 
given jobs that require a top security clearance, and are rarely assigned to 
combat units. Openly homosexual soldiers are not allowed to live in the 
barracks with other soldiers, but are generally assigned to an open base 
where they can go home at night. Dr. Charles Moskos,a military sociologist at 
Northwestern University has finished a recent study of homosexuality in 
Israel. Moskos says that "Israel is a homophobic society that treats 
homosexuals like women".         
  
   Israel may sound rough, but Homosexual acts will land you in a jail cell 
anywhere in the  middle east. If you happen to be in Saudi Arabia, the 
punishment is execution. England, Greece, Turkey, New Zealand Peru,Venezuela, 
Korea, India, Pakistan, Russia, the CIS countries, and all the old Eastern 
Bloc still ban homosexuals from their military services. In Italy,homosexuals 
are exempt from the draft. Many strongly conservative countries like China 
and Japan consider homosexuality such a mark of dishonor that they are 
puzzled as to why anyone would even want to ask the question of a new 
recruit.          
  
   It should be obvious that there isn't a single example where the 
integration of a substantial number of open homosexuals into the military of 
any nation has met with success. The key word is "open". Many thousands of 
homosexuals have been successful in their military careers. But this success 
-both in the U.S. military and overseas - has been a function of their 
success in maintaining a masquerade as a heterosexual. Homosexuality becomes 
a disruptive factor only when a homosexual soldier insists on making his 
orientation known. When you declare your status, your describing your 
behavior. What foreign countries have experienced in this regard is becoming 
clear in the case of Kieth Meinhold, the only court approved open homosexual 
in the U.S. military. In a sworn court deposition, Meinhold's commander 
stated that "Meinhold's reinstatement had struck a discordant note with the 
troops", and that "some personnel have refused to fly with Meinhold, forcing 
the Navy to rework their schedules". When this deposition started circulating 
through Congress, Congresswoman Patricia Schroeder was outraged. Apparently 
she has a problem with the truth when it doesn't fit her political slogans. 
  
  The strategy of the homosexual rights movement is clear. Once the military 
has been forced to accept homosexuals, it will provide a powerful precedent 
for the use of federal power to attempt to coerce the acceptance of 
homosexuals in every corner of American society. However, a presidential fiat 
will not gain acceptance of homosexuals in the military, because it is not a 
lifestyle that has gained acceptance in society as a whole. President Clinton 
needs to carefully consider which voices warrant the most serious 
consideration prior to issuing any order to allow gays in the military. 
Should he listen to the voices of our military leaders, the troops 
themselves, a solid bloc of veterans groups, and the majority of the American 
people? Or should he remain content with satisfying the latest ideological 
fashion surrounding a group of people who defines itself through its desire 
for oral and anal copulation with someone of the same gender? A group who 
loudly proclaims their victimization, while the behavior by which they define 
themselves is the engine driving a fatal national plague.      
  
   The Democratic leadership of the house recently allowed Congressman Ron 
Dellums, the radical representative from Berkeley California to take over as 
chairman of the critically important house Armed Services Committee. The 
Democratic leadership reassured everyone that despite Dellums' radical 
record, he was a fair man that would allow both sides of any argument to be 
heard. Dellums announced that he intended to use his new powers as a "bully 
pulpit", and promptly scheduled hearings on gays in the military. Dellums' 
insistence that the committee only take testimony from past and present 
homosexual military personnel raised such a storm of protest that the 
hearings had to be put on indefinite hold. So much for fairness and both 
sides of an argument.      
  
    Let's hope that President Clinton gets a true picture of how homosexual 
military service has worked out in foreign countries, so that he doesn't 
continue under the assumption that it has been successful. If he persists in 
forcing radical agendas - such as gays in the military, or women in combat - 
onto the military at a time of drastic force reductions, the next time we get 
into a real war, all the military will be is a debilitated chicken disguised 
in eagle feathers? 
 
                       ===========================
 
 
    CAPTIONS FOR THE DUTCH PICTURES:
    1. MALES         
  
          A picture in the Dutch Department of Defense booklet  
          on homosexuality showing a homosexual soldier at
          Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport welcoming his boyfriend 
          back from a tour of peace-keeping duty in Lebanon. 
  
   2. FEMALES
 
          A picture from the same booklet showing two Lesbian
          sailors embracing at dockside.
 
 
  
              COUNTRIES THAT ALLOW GAYS IN THE MILITARY
 
              MILITARY  OPEN             
  COUNTRY      SIZE    TO GAYS  DRAFT/MONTHS       REMARKS     
  ------------------------------------------ -------------------- 
  DENMARK      31,400   1974   YES 14-17 mo. Gays can marry
  NORWAY       36,785   1979   YES 12 months Gay marriage pending
  SWEDEN       65,650   1979   YES  7-15 mo. Gay marriage proposed
  BELGIUM      90,625          YES  8-10 mo.
  NETHERLANDS  93,341   1974   YES  7-15 mo. Gay marriage proposed
  GERMANY     477,800   1969   YES 15 months Official discrimination 
  FRANCE      471,000          YES 10 months Official discrimination
  SPAIN       330,000   1979   YES 15 months 
  SWIZERLAND   19,000          YES 17 weeks  homosexual cliques banned
  PORTUGAL     63,500          YES
 
  EUROPEAN COUNTRIES THAT HAVE NO LAWS AGAINST HOMOSEXUALITY
     BUT BAN OR EXEMPT HOMOSEXUALS FROM MILITARY SERVICE
 
  ENGLAND   327,000   Voluntary service. Gays are banned.
  GREECE    178,000   Draft military.    Gays are banned.
  TURKEY    630,000   Draft military.    Gays are banned.
  ITALY     375,100   Draft military.    Gays are exempt.
 
        OTHER WORLD MILITARY FORCES THAT ACCEPT GAYS 
 
  ISRAEL    141,000           1988        YES 36 months
  CANADA     88,000           1992        No, voluntary
  AUSTRALIA  70,588           1992        NO, voluntary
 
 
  GUATEMALA -------    Known homosexuals are discharged
  INDIA    1,120,000   Homosexuality a serious crime.
  Saudi Arabia         Homosexual acts result in execution
 
     
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                                          James M. Brantley
 



 
         
