Pentagon Questionnaire on Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Called Homophobic

The Pentagon has sent out a questionnaire for troops, including questions on how they feel about the lifting of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell ban. The questions have been challenged as homophobic and designed to enrage the troops. The military insists that it is merely trying to gather data on the views of the troops and was not trying to trigger a backlash.

Troops are asked the following question and given the following choices:

If Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is repealed and you are assigned to share a room, berth or field tent with someone you believe to be a gay or lesbian Service member, which are you most likely to do? Mark 1.

— Take no action
— Discuss how we expect each other to behave and conduct ourselves while sharing a room, berth or field tent
— Talk to a chaplain, mentor, or leader about how to handle the situation
— Talk to a leader to see if I have other options
— Something else
— Don’t know

Here is another one:

If Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is repealed and a gay or lesbian Service member attended a military social function with a same-sex partner, which are you most likely to do?

— Continue to attend military social functions
— Stop bringing my spouse, significant other or other family members with me to military social functions
— Stop attending military social functions
— Something else
— Don’t know

Such questions have been criticized as fueling resentment and anger among the enlisted members over the lifting of the ban. Consider this one:

If Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is repealed and you are assigned to bathroom facilities with an open bay shower that someone you
believe to be a gay or lesbian Service member also used, which are you most likely to do? Mark 1.

— Take no action
— Use the shower at a different time than the Service member I thought to be gay or lesbian
— Discuss how we expect each other to behave and conduct ourselves
— Talk to a chaplain, mentor, or leader about how to handle the situation
— Talk to a leader to see if I had other options
— Something else
— Don’t know

What exactly is “something else”?