Ah, the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy is back in the news. San Francisco has banned the JROTC military program from its high schools, arguing that the rule doesn’t jive with its equal-rights-for-gays laws.

“Don’t ask, don’t tell,” as its name implies, holds that gays in the military cannot disclose their orientation. In return, armed forces officials can’t ask for it.

Michelle Malkin, seconding sources from the article (including San Fran’s pro-gay mayor), says the ban punishes students without having any effect on policy.

Agreed, but I’d like to focus on the policy argument itself. Is “don’t ask, don’t tell” bad for gays? Well, yes. It stops them from serving openly, and according to folks involved with my alma mater’s ROTC program, it can stop superiors from keeping track of their soldiers’ lives.

My argument for the policy doesn’t stem from anti-gay sentiment or a drive to preserve culture; it stems from the idea that it’s inappropriate for open gays and striaghts to serve together. From an op-ed I wrote for a college paper a year and a half ago:

“In the military people are forced to live, eat and shower with others of the same sex. The policy’s author, Charles Moskos, said it best in an interview with the Northwestern Chronicle: ‘To me, the issue comes down to privacy. Prudes have rights, too.’ He also likened ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ to gender-segregated toilets.

“In other words, there’s nothing ‘intolerant’ about not wanting to get naked with someone.”When sexual orientation can lead to awkwardness or tension, it’s inappropriate to force people to live together. When I was 18 I would have jumped at the opportunity to see a bunch of…young women in the nude (as I am straight), and it’s hard to argue that would have been fair to the women. It’s also hard to argue that’s a false analogy.”

Robert VerBruggen blogs at http://robertsrationale.blogspot.com.