Sexual orientation and military service

The militaries of the world have a variety of responses to gays, lesbians and bisexuals. Most Western military forces have now removed policies excluding sexual minority members; of the 26 countries that participate militarily in NATO, more than 20 permit open lesbians, gays, or bisexuals to serve; of the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, two (United Kingdom and France) do so. The other three generally do not: China bans gays and lesbians outright, Russia excludes all gays and lesbians during peacetime but allows some gay men to serve in wartime (see below). The United States prohibits homosexuals from military service by law, but does not inquire as to prospective servicemembers' possible homosexuality under its Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy. Israel is the only country in the middle east region that openly allows gays and lesbians to serve in the military.

Policies and attitudes toward gay and lesbian personnel in the military vary widely internationally. Several countries allow gay men and lesbians to serve openly and have granted them the same rights and privileges as their heterosexual counterparts. Many countries neither ban nor support gay and lesbian service members, and a small group continue to ban homosexual personnel outright.

While the question of homosexuality in the military has been highly politicized in the United States, it is not necessarily so in many countries. Generally speaking, sexuality in these cultures is considered a more personal aspect of one's identity than it is in the United States.

Countries that ban homosexuals from serving in the military

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• Brazil^[1]
• China
• Cuba
• Egypt
• Greece^[2]
• Iran
• Malaysia
• Mexico
• North Korea
• Philippines^[3]
• Saudi Arabia
• Singapore
• South Korea
• Syria
• Venezuela
• Yemen

     Nations that do not bar openly homosexual people from serving in the military. Includes countries where homosexuality is illegal.     Nations with semi-ambiguous policies (don't ask, don't tell, etc.).     Nations with a ban on homosexual people in the military.

Countries with other policies

• The United States of America (see "don't ask, don't tell")

• In Russia, those alleged to have "sexual identity problems" are to be drafted only during wartime. "Well adjusted homosexuals" are permitted to serve in a normal capacity.

• In Turkey, every fit heterosexual male citizen is required to serve in the military for time periods ranging from three weeks to fifteen months, depending on his education and job location. Homosexuals have the right to be exempt, if they so request.^[4]

See also

• Homosexuality in the militaries of ancient Greece

Source

• Shilts, Randy (1994/1997/2005). Conduct Unbecoming: Gays and Lesbians in the US Military. ISBN 5-551-97352-2 / ISBN 0-312-34264-0.

References

External links

• Center for Military Readiness, Livonia, MI, Non-profit educational organization focusing on military personnel policy
• Military Culture: European
• Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military of the University of California, Santa Barbara
• Proud2Serve.net: Information and Resources on the UK Armed Forces approach to homosexuality
• Human Rights Watch report: Uniform Discrimination The Don't Ask, Don't Tell Policy of the U.S. Military
• Survivor bashing - bias motivated hate crimes
• Blue Alliance - LGBT Alumni of the US Air Force Acdemy
• History of gay and lesbian discrimination in Canadian Military
• A New Kind of War, An Old Kind of Prejudice by Brian W. Fairbanks
• Thomasson v. Perry - The 1st "As Applied" challenge of Don't Ask, Don't Tell to reach the U.S. Supreme Court
• "Transsexual to fight 'mental disorder' statement", ANUCHA CHAROENPO, Bangkok Post, November 2, 2006