Statement of Dr. Edward D. Martin

Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs

April 10, 1993

Gays in the Military

	The following statement issued by Dr. Edward D. 
Martin, Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health 
Affairs, clearly states that homosexuality, per se, does not 
correlate with mental disorders, promiscuity, disease 
incidence or medical costs:

ÒHomosexuality was once medically defined as an aberrant 
sexual behavior.  However, years of medical, psychologic 
and sexual research consistently failed to demonstrate the 
presence of any specific biologic marker, clinical syndrome 
and/or psychologic profile in practicing homosexuals of 
either sex.

ÒBy 1975, the American Psychological Association no 
longer considered homosexuality an aberrant sexual 
behavior.  By 1976, the American Psychiatric Association 
enacted the same resolution and removed homosexuality 
from its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. Shortly, 
thereafter, the American Medical Association adopted the 
same position.

ÒIt is important to note that high-risk behavior of any kind, 
such as substance abuse, chemical addiction, drunk driving, 
sexual promiscuity or domestic violence, is clearly 
associated with specific human pathology, high-cost 
medical interventions, uncertain rehabilitation, and long-
term social, economic, and political consequences.

ÒGreat caution is required, however, when identifying high-
risk behaviors as the cause of a variety of problems found in 
different social groups.  In fact, from an epidemiological 
point of view, specific risk-behavior incidence can be 
statistically related to various racial, economic, geographic, 
ethnic, religious or other groups, and clearly is often not 
causal.

ÒWe are not aware of any scientific evidence that individual 
sexual preference, in and by themselves, be they 
homosexual, heterosexual or bisexual, affect work 
productivity, scholastic aptitude, disease incidence, 
medical costs or crime rate in the population at large.  In 
conclusion, since homosexuality, per se, cannot 
scientifically be characterized as a medical issue, DoD 
policies related to homosexual or heterosexual behavior 
should be based upon military personnel, unit and mission 
concerns and considerations.Ó


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Prepared by the Legal/Policy Department of the Campaign 
for Military Service.   2707 Massachussetts Ave, NW   
Washington, DC 20009.  (202) 265-6666.