In the Us they have a don't ask don't tell policy. Simply put they won't ask you and they expect you to keep it to yourself. If you do tell then usually it means dismisal. What I don't know about is if if just a dismsal or a dishonorable discharge. i think is just a regular dismisal. If they ever reinstate a draft that will be my excuse. I'll grab some guys nuts in front of the recruiter if it gets me out of it. I'm not saying being in the arm forces is a bad thing. To the contrary, is a necesary thing and it gives lots of people opportunities that they would normally not get. What I'm saying is that I can serve my country in better ways than going to some crappy country and getting my les blowned off by a half-azz build IED. God bless those soldiers who volunteer and sacrifice themselves for others.
Anyways, what the arm forces ask you is to keep it to yourself. in other words you cannot be openly gay as of 2009. Maybe it will be different in the future but not now. Besides, being gay does not has to get in the way of your job. Being gay is jjst a small part of what a person is. For example a mechanic is a mechanic by proffesion. A dad to his children, a husband to his wife. Maybe he contributes to the community and he is a prominent church member. Perhaps on the weekend he is a pro fisherman so on and so forth. His sex life is just a part fo who he is. Has this man eing gay then only that one part of his lfe gets affected. He can still be a pro fisherman in the weekends, a dad to his children, a contributing member of society so on and so forth.