Friday, February 05, 2010
While the United States sets off on what is expected to be a year-long debate over ending the ban on homosexuals serving openly in the military, advocates of eliminating don’t-ask-don’t-tell point to the fact there are 30 countries that already allow gays and lesbians to serve without having to hide their sexual orientation. These nations include nearly all members of NATO, such as Canada and the United Kingdom, as well as others like South Africa, Brazil, the Philippines and Israel.
Aaron Belkin, a political science professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, who has studied the issue of gays in the military, told Global Post: “In just about all of these countries there is research and anecdotal evidence that illustrates there is no problem, no decrease in cohesion among units, nor a diminishing effectiveness of the troops.”
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Analysis: Where Gays Do Serve, Openly, in the Military (by C.M. Sennott, Global Post)
Countries that Allow Military Service by Openly Gay People (Palm Center) (pdf)
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