century-old ban on gays denies an entire class of American citizens the only chance that many of them will get at employment. (Deicher 167-168)Job performance in military service and in the work place is in no way affected by being a homosexual. Most of the reason the ban on gays in the military is in place is based on the theory that homosexuals and heterosexuals cannot work with each other in close quarters. This isnt true and doesnt affect anyone on the job. Gay and lesbians are common people seen everyday and are no different from heterosexual people. (Deicher 185) A survey conducted by the Washington Post said that roughly one in three Americans knows someone that is openly gay and those people tend to think better of gays by knowing one. (Herek 2 of 5) Also, every single study conducted by the Pentagon or by an investigative arm of Congress since 1957 has concluded that there is no basis for the ban on gays and lesbians. (Deicher 192) Dr. Herek concluded that, The research data shows that there is nothing about lesbians and gay men that makes them inherently unfit for military service, and there is nothing about heterosexuals that makes them inherently unable to work and live with gay people in close quarters. (Herek 2 of 5) The Defense Personnel Security Research and Education Centers (PERSEREC) report Nonconforming Sexual Orientations and Military Suitability in December of 1988 said straightforwardly that homosexuality relates to job performance as left-or right-handedness does, period. Admittedly, gays in the military have caused problems; however, with stricter enforcement, problems would be greatly reduced. Gays in the military have raised many problems ranging from verbal conflicts to murder. Countless times has a suspected gay person been harassed either a fellow peer, or a higher ranked officer. Usually harassment overlooked by others leads to murder and devastates countless families. Berry Winchell was on...
