The Truth About Gay Service in Foreign Militaries

Would allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the U.S. military really hurt unit cohesion like supporters of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" say it would?

Not if you look at the more than two dozen foreign militaries that have already integrated their militaries to allow openly lesbian and gay troops. From South Africa to Israel to Canada, no foreign government that allows openly gay soldiers has reported one lick of distress when it comes to unit cohesion or morale. In fact, it's quite the opposite.

According to Reason magazine (not necessarily known as a bastion of liberalism), foreign militaries showed nothing more than a shrug when it came to allowing folks to serve openly. The British government observed "a marked lack of reaction." The Canadian government reported "no effect." And in Australia, a group that worked hard to keep a ban on gay soldiers in place eventually came around to say that straight Australian troops never had a lot of difficulty accepting openly gay colleagues.

So that sentiment about how letting troops serve openly could threaten unit cohesion? It seems about as much of an urban legend as the idea that the kid from the Life Cereal commercials died eating Pop Rocks, or that Walt Disney is cryogenically frozen.

Gay service in foreign militaries is also shaping up to be a cornerstone of the work that The Palm Center, a research outfit in California dedicated to overturning "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," plans to do this Spring. They just announced a Spring symposium that will spotlight how gay troops have been successfully integrated into militaries around the world, and how this had absolutely no effect on unit cohesion or troop morale.

"As military and political leaders anticipate the end of 'don't ask, don't tell,' the lessons from the twenty-five foreign forces that allow open gay service are instructive," said Dr. Aaron Belkin, Director of the Palm Center. The Palm Center is also preparing to launch a behemoth report on foreign militaries who welcome gay troops. It's expected to drop next week.

So the next time you hear someone talking about troop morale or unit cohesion, just remember that at least 25 militaries around the world have yet to show any problem with allowing gay and lesbian troops to serve openly. What makes the United States think that it will be any different?

Photo credit: The U.S. Army