Palm Center

Defenses of the military's gay ban have long been rooted in the moral belief that homosexuality is wrong, but its champions cast their defense of the policy in terms of the famous "unit cohesion" rationale.

Petty Officer Third Class Joseph Rocha was brutalized for more than two years at his base in Bahrain after his refusal to hire a prostitute raised suspicions that he was gay. This is not an academic debate.

Rep. Ellen Tauscher has just announced she'll introduce a bill to repeal the ban on open gays in the military, a momentous step that comes on the 15th anniversary of this highly unpopular policy.

If there is a rational argument against gay marriage, I have yet to see it. And this is why Obama's invitation to Warren might just work. A major limitation to progressive thinking is our over-reliance on rational debate.

I set out to learn if reason or prejudice was behind the gay ban in the military.