In Canada, while our neighbours to the south were chickening out on this issue, a Human Rights Tribunal decision compelled the nation's employers, including the Canadian Forces, to become blind to sexuality -- in effect, not "Don't ask, don't tell," but "Who cares?"

The result has been a major change in military culture that hardly anybody bothers to talk about.

We still have plenty of knuckle-draggers with unpleasant opinions about "faggots", but they keep their mouths shut at work or face disciplinary proceedings under a fairly draconian harassment policy.