Reply #4: the military only punishes adultery

[PDenton]

when it involves a married or cohabitating party. It is not simply "fornication" or sleeping around. This might seem quaint to civilians but the military doesn't want any disruption to the effectiveness of their units, and they don't want to deal with the hassles that come about because people get jealous and are bothered by things other than their mission. There are also rules against fraternization for the same reasons. If this seems like too much, well, the military is not for everybody. People who want to live soap opera lives don't have to join an all-volunteer force that is dedicated to protecting every citizen's life and liberty. It is serious business and the military expects people who serve to have a likewise professional demeanor.

I'm in favor of allowing gays to serve openly in the military as long as their behavior doesn't interfere with unit readiness or cohesion and they don't commit adultery (as defined by the previous paragraph). I don't believe there is a good reason to prevent it.