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Homosexuals who try to maintain a relationship proceed with utmost caution. Bill, a Navy medical corpsman, has a civilian lover. When they are together in Bill's apartment complex, which is populated by a lot of Navy personnel, they are careful not to touch or exchange intimate glances. Bill is a veteran of the double life. He visits straight bars with his straight friends, "dates" a lesbian friend, and once hired a prostitute while in port in the Philippines. "I just took her to my hotel, and we talked," he says.
Even if the ban is lifted, homosexuals are still likely to practice self- censorship to protect their careers. Civilian work settings, where many if not most gays still keep quiet about their sexual orientation, offer an apt model. "Hundreds of corporations have policies that protect gay men and lesbians against discrimination," says Jay Lucas, a Philadelphia employment consultant. "But that doesn't mean the culture has changed." John, a Navy petty officer in San Diego, sounds a common refrain. To come out of the closet, he says, "would be professional suicide because your superiors will find ways not to promote you." A change in policy does not guarantee that harassment will immediately stop: some gay servicemen reported last week that insults and physical attacks have increased since President Clinton began speaking out against the ban.