High school field trips. Overnight trips usually involved 4 students in a room with 2 queen beds. The chaperones would almost always order extra cots for the boys, but never for the girls. Two major exceptions that stick out were the French club trips to Quebec, and the Senior Trip. The former was because Mme X wasn’t aware she was “supposed to do that” and I guess she never had any of the boys (who were always outnumbered by the girls) complain. Neither myself or any of the other 3 boys had any problems sharing beds. :smack: Of course at least 3 of us turned out to be gay. No, it didn’t quite turn into an orgy. I wonder if that was the case on past French trips for some reason.
The senior trip was just because the hotel didn’t have enough extra beds (just over 2/3rds of our class went). Alot of guys complained, most of the girls were confused why exra cots were expected in the first place, and several mattresses ended being taken off the bedframes and put on the floor. Oddly the football players didn’t have a problem sharing beds. :dubious: Of course after the first night practically everybody was getting drunk anyway and the chaperones didn’t really care who slept in what room as long everybody was in their assigned room for rounds at 11.
I’m completely straight, and I have, on occasion, shared a bed (in the literal, non-innuendo sense) with another guy, also (to the best of my knowledge) straight. No alcohol involved, either. Yeah, I’ll buy that it’s probably uncommon for straight guys, and that the odds are probably in favor of them being gay, but it’s not completely out of the question.
Well, coming at it from the viewpoint of someone not in the military, it seems possible, but the comments about those military dorms being ultra-macho and homophobic make it less likely. If they were drunk then it definitely seems possible, though.
What a bastard the guy’s room-mate is for reporting it.
IME most guys are not that cuddy with guys unless they’re gay. But some are. I agree it is probably even fewer in an ultra-macho military organisation. It seems they have a right for us not to assume either way.
Just to be clear, the sailor accused is NOT claiming to be straight. He is claiming that nothing sexual happened and that therefore the Navy has no reason to charge him with anything. Until the repeal of DADT goes into effect, he CAN’T admit to being gay, but is accusing the Navy of trumping up a minor, non-sexual occurrence as a homophobic last ditch effort to sweep out gays before the final implementation of the new rules.
I think Jones is gay, and his sleepover friend probably is too. I also think their sexuality is relevant. I’m kinda siding with the Navy on this one. Sorta. My take:
Jones is almost certainly, obviously gay, and his roommate, presumably straight and a little uncomfortable with Jones’ being a little too comfortable with the recent change to DADT, was made to feel extra uncomfortable coming home and finding his obviously gay roommate all snuggly on his bunk with another guy under the covers.
Jones is clinging to this technicality that it wasn’t sexual because there were covers between the two guys. The Navy is making an example out of him and saying: “don’t try it gay guys. You can’t dry hump your gay lover in the barracks and get away with it because there were covers between you.”
Don’t listen to Dio. There are plenty of situations where you might find guys hanging out on each other’s bunks, in their boxers. Not a big deal. Heck, just the fact one of these guys even had pajama bottoms makes me think “gay!”
These guys are students at the Naval Nuclear Power Training Command. I guaran-damn-tee you the barracks isn’t uber-macho. It probably is a bit homophobic as just about everything is in the military, but these guys would be much more brainy nerd than knuckle-dragging thug. Think the Big Bang Theory guys in Navy uniforms.
I can see your point; I went through something similiar with my freshman roommate (probally made worse that he had no idea I was gay until he walked in on me). At least I never brought anybody to the room to have sex with while he thought I was asleep. Then again how mutch trouble would the straight roomie be in with the Navy if he was caught asleep in bed with a female? Would he also be discharged?
In fairness, I’m afraid I’m in general agreement with** Dio.** Granted, I left the military back in 1992, and things may have changed since then, but I can think of no non-gay reason something like this would ever happen in a military barracks. Two straight guys would simply not be lying in the same bed together, even with all their clothes on. Two straight guys would probably volunteer to charge the Gates of Hell armed only with a bucket of ice water before opting for ( or admitting to) being caught in such a situation.
Not saying I agree with the guy getting railroaded out of the navy or anything–just that yeah, he’s as gay as the gayest gay that ever gayed on Gay Street during a Pride Parade.
Well, in this case they faced a Captain’s Mast. I was Army, so I don’t know how bad that is, but it sounds like an Article 15, which can range from not so bad to career killer. Jone’s refused that, so it escalated to discharge.
Yes, being found on the bed with the opposite sex in the barracks could very well get you an Article 15. Or it could just get you told to knock it off. Depends how puritan the command is. I’ve seen people discharged for having unprofessional affairs (superior-subordinate, officer-enlisted, etc.) but I’ve never heard of someone getting discharged for one single mostly harmless sexual transgression in the barracks, unless of course it was gay.
When my buddy lived with his parents we watched a movie in his room on his bed, just because that was the only comfortable place to do it since his George Costanza-nesque parents occupied the upstairs living room we both fell asleep on the bed.
We’re not gay, although we felt a little gay and joked about it when we woke up.
I don’t doubt that such things can happen in civilian life, but a military barracks (at least when I was in) is a whole other universe. You don’t do anything that could be remotely construed as gay. I heard guys get talked about just for being good friends and hanging out together a lot (“How come Bradley and Rodriguez always do everything together? What are they fags?”). I’m not saying it isn’t stupid. It’s VERY stupid.
I imagine also in military barracks we’re talking about single beds ? In my case my buddy had a large “queen” size, ha !
Sharing a single bed in my experience would of been a little to close for my own comfort to watch a movie from, let alone feel comfortable enough to fall asleep on.
Meh. I’d need more info. I’ve certainly seen more than one guy with a girlfriend be in physical contact with another guy in various states of undress. If you haven’t, I don’t know what else to say. You must be living in a more straitlaced society. Sounds pretty gross.
It’s not the idea of being in contact with another guy in various states of undress, it’s that they were in bed together. Anyone who’s ever played sports or taken gym class knows that plenty of heterosexual guys are comfortable being in close quarters together without clothes. But being together in bed…no.
He’s in one of the the most competitive and hard to get into service billets in the entire military and he’s rolling the dice with this kind of childish nonsense. If he’d had enough sense to be more circumspect it wouldn’t be a big deal, but a nuclear tech who lacks common sense and impulse control being mustered out will not break my heart.
Sure, the guy is probably gay, he was watching Vampire Diaries with another guy for Christ sake, and he went gone beyond normal friendship behavior. The question is whether he acted unprofessionally. Young men need to be taught proper social limits, even gay young men, and I would say he just needs some instruction here.
I wonder if that was the case on past French trips for some reason.