Of Tailhooks, Gays and Military Men : Sex: The brass’ fear of homosexuals in the ranks betrays the foot-dragging on heterosexual harassment.

Listen closely to all the arguments by the military’s top brass in opposition to gays openly serving in its forces and you will hear a note of true concern.

They know better than most how it really is. The military is already a sexually charged and hostile setting for thousands of enlistees. But today’s victims are women. And the brass like it that way.

If gays are allowed to freely act like straights in this male fraternity, then men might be victimized. Think of the horrifying possibilities! If there is a heterosexual gauntlet for assaulting women at a Navy aviators’ meeting, there might be a homosexual one for assaulting men.

One editorial writer has even speculated that this whole question of gays in the military is unfair because grunts might have to worry about being viewed by fellow soldiers in a sexual light. Maybe he forgot that women are grunts, too.

All the rampant heterosexual harassment is forgiven or poorly investigated because the governing principle of the military’s top commander is, “Boys will, after all, be boys”--with the time-honored proviso that they must be straight boys.

It is precisely for that reason that the only real hope for ending sexual harassment of women in the military is for gays to be allowed to serve their country openly, as they already do secretly. Then we will see a blossoming of efficiency in commanders who have dragged their heels in enforcing the rules that govern every aspect of sexual intimidation, harassment and assault. Immediately.

Let’s digress and take a quick look at the military-according-to-Sam Nunn, a recognized expert on that institution. He suggests that if the military accepts gays, they will be assaulted and even possibly killed. Have I missed the part where the brass plan to suspend all laws? Are they planning to distribute pink-triangle badges to the gays and baseball bats to the straights?

I believe the military can change, and it can change faster than society at large simply because it is not remotely democratic. It is America’s only pure dictatorship. Its commanders need only give orders and then discharge, penalize and demote those who do not carry them out and reward those who do.

These grousing commanders could put their energy into enforcing simple rules like, “Sex is an inappropriate topic for workplace conversations,” or “If you use a position of authority to pressure underlings for sex, we will hit you with the full force of the law.”