MacCoun, R. J. (1996). Sexual orientation and military cohesion: A critical review of the evidence. In G. M. Herek, J. B. Jobe, & R. Carney (Eds.), Out in force: Sexual orientation and the military. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Critically reviews the cohesion literature and assesses its implications for the policy debate about sexual orientation and the US military personnel policy. Analysis is premised upon 3 assumptions that appeared to be widely shared by both sides of the policy debate circa 1993-1995: (1) homosexuals are inherently no less capable of performing military tasks than are heterosexuals; (2) homosexuals already serve in the military, and always have, but most either have not openly acknowledged their status or have acknowledged it only to some colleagues; and (3) if allowed to serve, homosexuals in the military would be held to standards of conduct, appearance, demeanor, and performance at least as stringent as the standards for heterosexuals. Given these assumptions, the central question of the chapter is: What effect will the presence of acknowledged homosexuals have on the cohesions and performance of a given military unit? Topics include: cohesions and its effects on performance; factors influencing social and task cohesion, including propinquity and group membership, leadership, group size, success experiences, shared threat, and similarity or homogeneity. The following effects of lifting the ban are assessed: How many units will have acknowledged homosexuals as members? What are the likely effects of presence of acknowledged homosexuals on cohesion? Will negative attitudes toward homosexuality be expressed behaviorally? Will heterosexuals will obey an openly homosexual leader?