Gays in the military.

Recently Columbia university invited Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to speak. Im sure you've heard about and have an opinion already, I dont care. I'm not interested in talking about that. Lets face it, anything that could be said about the subject probably already has been. What I did find interesting however are some of the arguments that sprung from said incident. Namely the ongoing debate on gays in the military, or to be more specific "Dont ask, Dont tell"

As Im sure anyone whose even moderately computer literate has heard, Ahmadinejad stated (in refernece to homsexuals) "In Iran, we do not have this phenomenon," he said, speaking through an interpreter on a university-wide simulcast. "I don't know who has told you we have it." This, as anyone with half a brain could have predicted, led to much eye-rolling. More to the point, in many quarters it led to renewed deabte about the "don't ask, don't tell" policy the US Government insittutied under Clinton's leadership. (ahmadinejad at columbia + comments on homosexuality in Iran + columbias ban on ROTC = Don't ask don't tell discussion)

So why am I commenting? Well it occured to me, that allowing openly gay men or women to serve in the military would be much like forcing men and women in the US military to sleep and shower together. The main difference being that feminsits would protest the latter.

Forcing straight men to shower, sleep and billet with men they know are gay would be the equivalent of forcing women to do the same with straight men would it not? The US military justifies sexual segregation of such facilites on the assumption that alowing those who can be reasonably expected to have sexual fellings for each other would be counterproductive. So why doesn't this same idea apply to homosexuals? That is to say, if a female soldier could be reasonably expected to be uncomfortable enough showering with straight men as to make the idea of doing so ludicrous, why is the same thinking considered prejudiced when applied to Straight men/Gay men?

I would ask those readers who are gay how comfortable they would be showering with straight women. Or gay women how comfortable they would be showering with straight men. I know for a fact, that feminsits would say forcing women to shower with straight men would "create a hostile workplace" so why doesn't the same logic apply to Straight Men re Gay Men?

The military is a unique institution, unlike civilian work, soldiers are required to share damn near everything. Showers, beds, (ask a navy guy what hotcotting is) toilets, etc. Most of us would have no problems having a problem with coed bathrooms in schools or workplaces, even if we could be guaranteed that the other sex would never harrass us. The very idea of someone "objectifying" us while we were copping a squat is simply disgusting. Yet somehow, when it comes to gays in the military, we ask straight men to endure a level of discomfort we would never dream of attempting to impose on the avergae woman in her workplace. We ask that they willingly, and uncomplainingly, endure a level of scutiny and lecherous viewing (even if only percieved) in their most private moments that the vaginal hive mind would go rabid over if it were even suggested be imposed on women in thier public moments. How great of a disconnect is necessary to believe that it is "offenseive" for a man to see an attractive woman in a skirt and "objectify her" yet somehow believe than a man forced to shower with another man who looks at him in the exact same way while both are naked is not?

I would really, for once, like some comments on this. Specifically if Ragnell, Kalinara, Or Mad Thinker Scott would like to chime in with their POV I would appreciate it.