There is a strong level of harassment against female homosexuals in the military, with this specifically related to a desire to identify and exclude female homosexuals from the military. An article in The Advocate describes some of the issues related to the sexual harassment of female homosexuals. The article describes how Nicole Galvan, a cadet at West Poin

The sexual harassment of women by men is a significant issue in the military, not only because it occurs, but also because the threat of being charged with homosexuality is used to coerce women into having sex. One article reports that 18 percent of women in the Army have been subject to sexual harassment in the form of being coerced into having sex. Another 47 percent say that they have received unwanted sexual harassment (Newman). The sexual harassment of women in the military became a major public issue during the 1996 Aberdeen Proving Ground scandal. This scandal revealed that female trainees at the Aberdeen Proving Ground were being sexually harassed by male drill sergeants. The investigation into repeated allegations of rape and sexual abuse led to a number of male instructors being charged with sex crimes. Grossman (71) describes the outcome saying,

The ingrained culture of the military also results in the harassment of homosexual males, where they are specifically targeted and excluded because of their sexuality. In Coming Out Under Fire, author Allan Berube describes how homosexual males have been excluded from the military since the 1940s. He describes how screening out recruits on the basis of homosexuality became part of the psychological tests required for acceptance into the military. As Berube (9) describes psychiatric consultants "received directives from headquarters instructing them to disqualify homosexuals." Berube (12) also notes that the instruction was given to reject any applicant "whose sexual behavior is such that it would endanger or disturb the morale of the military unit." In addition, it was noted that the screening process involved rejecting any man who displayed seemingly feminine characteristics, with this a sign both that the individual was homosexual and that the individual was unfit for military duty. This shows that the military's selection policy was based on the idea that homosexual men were not suitable for military service. This was partly because it was considered that heterosexual men would be uncomfortable with living and sleeping with homosexual men in the way that military service requires. In addition, it was also assumed that a homosexual man was too feminine to be in the military. This illustrates that the military has always excluded homosexual males, with this largely a part of the culture. Even though times have changed since the 1940s, the military still appears to have a culture of exclusion where homosexual men are not welcome. The story of Bryan Harris shows how the problem reveals itself in the modern military. Harris, who is homosexual, was charged with sexually assaulting another man and

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Approximate Word count = 1811
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)