Oh yes, we know that the US military doesn’t like the gays or the lesbians. We’re all a big no-no, ever since the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy was implemented in 1994. You may be familiar with this from such TV characters Tasha Williams, Alice’s squeeze in The L Word.

Now it transpires, however, that women are more likely to be discharged under the policy than men. Although figures show that women make up 14-15% of personnel, they represent over a third (36%) of all those dismissed.

The Associated Press quotes an expert on gays and the military, Aaron Belkin of the University of California, who informs us that regardless of anything else, the US military “comes down harder on women than on men”. Hurdle number one.

Whether lesbians are targeted more than gay men, however, is not clear. Hurdle number two. Belkin explains that there is the possibility that there is a higher rate of lesbians in the army, so it may not necessarily be the case that “lesbian-baiting” is carried out. (Yeesh, that sounds unpleasant.) I wonder does the policy mean that the kinds of witch-hunts carried out in the past in the UK military do not happen – such as that experienced by Sgt. Caroline Meagher, and dramatised in The Investigator. (I doubt it, somehow..)

AP approached the Pentagon about this and were informed by a spokesperson that an investigation to establish why more lesbians are dismissed from the army than gay men would not be possible. Because of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” rule.

Well, Jesus holy god. Hurdle number three, or what? How terribly convenient. So, until the policy of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is lifted – oh, I don’t know, by the Nobel Prize-winning President of the United States, Barack Obama – the US military will absolutely not investigate whether or not it is victimising members of its own forces.

(Although, I can’t say that I’m too shocked at the lack of a logical and considerate approach of an institution that breaks its recruits to transform them into killing machines. But, hey-ho.)

Of course, there is one of two simple ways (or both!) that every lesbian in the US military can use to solve this little problem they may find themselves in: (a) explain to her superiors that she was just lespretending; or (b) “No homo“.

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