by Ronald D. Ray

About the author: Ronald D. Ray is a retired Marine colonel and the author of Military Necessity and Homosexuality.

The military ban against homosexuals rests historically and legally upon government deference, particularly by Congress and the U.S. Supreme Court, to the judgment of military leaders on the basis of “military necessity.” The military’s singular mission is, as stated by the Secretary of Defense, on March 26, 1992, “to fight and win our wars,” to defend America from enemies foreign and domestic. Anything or anyone who interferes with or inhibits the military’s ability to accomplish that high calling with the fewest casualties threatens America’s national security.

Different Rules and Standards

The military is entirely separate and apart from the civilian...