Outness, same-sex sexual behavior, and alcohol problems among sexual minority veterans

The “don't ask don't tell” policy has made it difficult to conduct research on sexual minorities enlisted in the military, and as a result, research in this area has traditionally focused on the experiences of sexual minority veterans. Previous research conducted by Estrada and Weiss (1999) found the attitudes of Marines towards sexual minorities to be overwhelmingly negative, and concluded that attitudinal differences which vary between branches of the military may exist. Therefore, it is not unreasonable to suspect differences in the outness of service men and women between the various branches of the military. In 2004 and 2005 445 sexual minority veterans completed an online survey about their experiences in the armed services. Using an adapted version of Mohr's Outness Inventory (Mohr & Fassinger, 2000), the investigators will examine whether differences in outness, and same-sex sexual behavior (while enlisted) exist between the various branches of the military. Finally, the investigators will examine whether alcohol problems are related to levels of outness, discrimination within specific branches of the armed services, or perhaps a combination of the two. Preliminary results using analysis of variance to compare only Army and Navy veterans did not find a significant difference in outness while enlisted F(1,242) = .056, p>.05; however, a significant difference F(1,286) = 6.821, p<.05. did exist when examining same-sex behavior, with individuals in the Navy reporting more same-sex behavior. Future research will seek to identify sexual minority veterans who may be at an increased risk for discrimination and substance use disorders.