With Schroeder's proposed legislation and Clinton's promised Executive Order (whatever final form this takes," the "gay rights" assault on the DOD is now being waged on three fronts: in Congress, in the courts, and through direct pressure exerted on military leadership. Let it be said immediately that the United States military has played a critical role in protecting and expanding civil rights for qualified minority groups. As a result, Americans of diverse ethnic origin now enjoy a greater level of economic and career advancement opportunity in the military than ever before. In turn, both service persons and the Armed Services themselves benefit greatly from the dynamics of ethnic diversity in the ranks.

However, there are compelling reasons to believe that awarding protected status and special standing to a group of people whose sole identity is derived from their sexual behavior and/or desires, whose true profile resembles that of a non-ethnic special interest group would adversely affect the military services in a host of ways.

Before describing these adverse effects, let's consider several recent related events. First, several military-related court cases have won notoriety, among them the 1989 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision overturning the discharge of Army Sgt. Perry Watkins, an admitted homosexual; homosexual activists' "outing" [or, revealing the secret homosexual identity] of DOD Public Affairs spokesperson Pete Williams; and gay militants' touting of homosexuals' presence in the recent Gulf war.

What would be wrong with freely admitting self-acknowledged homosexuals into the military community? Nothing, say homosexual activists. They assert that this would be no different from the results of President Truman's 1948 Executive Order racially integrating the services.

In a recent letter to Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Colin Powell, Rep. Schroeder argues that opposing homosexual "integration" would be closely parallel to racial bigotry during the 1950s. Homosexual lobbyists cite "homophobia" as an evil akin to racism which must be overcome at all costs. Are Schroeder and other "gay rights" proponents correct -- or do completely different considerations apply to the question of gays in the military?