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Originally Posted by DerailAmnesty.com
OK, I'll bite. What would be the compelling justification for your separate-but-equal scheme? Tell me why homosexuals and heterosexuals can't sleep in the same barracks and use the same shower facilities. How is this different than cohabitation with members of races one doesn't like or members of religious groups one detests?
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It boils down to sexual attraction and confined space. In civilian life, you're free to move away when someone develops an attraction and it's not mutual. When you are a soldier, you are required to get along with the other members of your unit. And it's a standard of decency that has evolved over centuries. Members of opposing sexes are not generally required or expected to accept viewing each other in states of undress or while performing grooming or related tasks. When homosexual, lesbian, transgenders are injected into the mix, the attraction quotient still exists. In many it is even stronger.
In the latter examples you cited, the sexual attraction is not normally an issue. You may not like a religious bent or practice of another soldier, but he isn't generally lusting after you. Lust is a stronger emotion, and attraction is attached to a physical reaction. You don't have those drivers in racial or religious arenas.
Have you ever looked into stories written about the very high incidence of rape of women in the military? It appears quite disturbing. Not saying the ratio would be the same between homo/straight soldiers at all, but rather pointing out the strength that physical attraction can have when the players are living under restrictive conditions.