President-elect Obama's incoming WH Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, when asked if the new administration will jettison the controversial "don't ask, don't tell" military policy, announced the ban will be revoked. No timetable was announced for its repeal and it is probably not high on the priority list of 'things to do' for the incoming president. Clinton tackled it early on in his first term igniting a firestorm of controversy that was never clearly settled leaving us with the less than satisfactory keep-your-mouth-shut policy we now have.

The intervening years have allowed the usual objections to settle and the Gay lifestyle has gained a grudging acceptance even among the more pedestrian of Americans. Television comedies and dramas feature Gay characters in scripted situations apart from their sexual preference stressing their humanity and not their sexuality. This quiet assent of their presence in society has gone a long way in helping to quell the overt animosity of the past. Those choosing to 'come out' are not met with the previous unconcealed revulsion or shunned by families and friends as they were in less tolerant times.

We will always have with us, though, those who will never willingly accept the presence of a Gay individual in their presence under any circumstances. Most especially in the close environs of a military establishment. Their distaste for the lifestyle will overwhelm any camaraderie necessary for a healthy and well functioning military unit.

I wonder at this. Many reasons could be cited. Freud could be pulled out of the hat to say these individuals are insecure in their own sexual identity and feel threatened. It is fair to say some feel a certain amount of disgust over the very idea of having a sexual encounter with an individual of their own sex. But another thought comes to my mind as I ponder this, that some may just flat out feel uncomfortable or even frightened with the thought they might possibly be thought of as a "sex object" for one of their own sex.

Women have put up with this attitude - some even encouraging it - throughout recorded history and beyond. It's no secret the greatest strength a woman has over a man is the power and allurement of sex. Some judiciously retain and restrict access to their feminine favors while others use sexual enticements freely and generously to attract men in the manner they have been conditioned in our promiscuous culture.

Whether an attractive woman encourages it or not she is voluntarily or involuntarily reduced to a sex object when she is among those who only and openly value her as such. Her behavior can be perfectly circumspect and she will still be the target of leers and crude jokes. Many women are uncomfortably aware of this as men generally have not seen the need to disguise their behavior. It has become arguably and tacitly acceptable in our hedonistic culture.

Now possibly the roles will be reversed in the minds of some. The close proximity in living arrangements will eventually and inevitably place Gays and Straights side by side. Can the individuals get past the tensions and conduct business as usual or will the sexual tension destroy the necessary cohesion vital to a military cohort? Will the GI in the shower next to you have designs on your ass? Does he have any interest in you as a person or is he just interested in getting off because he likes the shape of your mouth?

See how it feels?