I guess you're not in the military. Base Gyms have group showers. Basic Training and Tech Training dorms still tend to have group showers. Most large joint training areas (i.e., Grafenwoer AIN, Germany) also have group showers. So do many deployment zones. Actually; in some deployment zones your "shower" is a handful of baby wipes. Don't equate the military environment with any part of the civilian world. It doesn't work.
Also, I fail to see how your showering with lesbians is relevant to the thread. Does it mean you "have a dog in this fight?" If you are familiar with what goes on in a prison-shower environment, why would you want to recreate it in a military environment? Do you hate us?
The fact is; our society is being bled to death in increments. The behavior by gay men in public parks and truck stops would have gotten them killed about fifty years ago. Large groups of gay men have group sex in parks, on beaches and truck stops in plain view of families with children. Due to our PC environment, the police are often afraid to confront them. Do we need to open another venue for them to perform in?
I should also point out, I don't "hate" homosexuals. I have my own sins and failings I must deal with. I thank God that homosexuality isn't one of them! As another pointed out, homosexuality is similar to adultery and pedophilia as it is selfish and self destructive behavior. Have you heard of any "normal" person trying to get infected with AIDS? Google "Bug Chaser" and "Gift Giver."
By the way; the doctor who lobbied to have homosexuality removed from the manual for mental illness diagnosis (back in 1972) decided he was wrong. Around 2000 he announced that homosexuality is a mental illness. However; he never got much press. Our media is full of "homo-normative" bias, just like academia.
I guess the handi-wipe issue negates the argument against homosexuals in the shower in the first place.
It does equate if you're thinking logically. There are barracks and many places where folks shower indoors and together. Not everyone is in the war zone or in training.
Your incremental argument cause me to tear up. One at a time of course. I hope you can put your finger in the dike and stop the flow. Or vis a versa.
Homosexuality is not analogous to adultery and pedophilia. If you can't figure out why, then I'm arguing with someone who'll never get it anyway.
Sure it does. Showering together in the military is rare, compared to what the average civilian images. Gyms all over the world have group showers, that's not unique to the military. Basic training is like two months, AIT varies, but many no longer have group showers, and it's more rare every year. Large training areas often have them, which you can use for a few days, but as you said, most of that time is spent baby-wiping yourself down in the field, where I'm assuming you would notice if someone was staring at your junk while you were wiping it off.
That said, the vast majority of any military persons time is spent in their own room, or with a roommate, showering on your own. The big open bays are a thing of the past, but that's what a lot of civilians think of.
Any of the women I worked with had to put up with a lot worse, from time to time, when facilities were scarce. Guys worry about the rare, off chance that a gay person might be nearby while they're half clothed. Try being a female and needing to take a leak during a convoy halt, under a poncho, with 100 horny guys 100 feet away. I've felt genuinely embarrassed for my chromosome match on an occasion or two, and I just can't imagine that men in the military would ever have to endure what women seem to be able to shoulder.
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Anyone who thinks that homosexuals behave as heterosexuals should visit Provincetown, MA.