Lesbian Vet Straight Men Uptight About DADT

Retired Navy commander Beth Coye, author of My Navy Too, spoke with WNYC FM host Brian Lehrer about why lesbian service members' voices seem to be missing from the "don't ask, don't tell" debate. Coye said that "uptight" feelings from powerful straight men, who focus narrowly on issues like shared showers, could be one of the primary reasons.

Statistics commonly indicate that DADT affects women disproportionately. Women make up about 15% of the armed forces yet represent more than one third of the discharges under DADT.

Lehrer asked Coye, a lesbian, why so much of the DADT debate and imagery seems to revolve around men, despite the overwhelming statistics.

"It's partly because of the straight men, the minority who are so uptight about the issue ... they get down to that issue of the showers," said Coye.

However, Coye also suggested that women in general have not been as aggressive about inserting themselves into the debate, something that needs to change.

Listen to the clip here. The statistics discussion begins around the 6:30 mark.