Top U.S. Marine suggests segregating gay Marines from “very religious” ones

By Kevin Baron
August 24, 2010

In what was likely his last appearance in the Pentagon briefing room, soon-to-be retiring Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Conway once more waded into the “don’t ask, don’t tell” waters with his straight-shooter candor by suggesting that “very religious” Marines with “moral concerns” about homosexuality might not be forced to live with their gay battle buddies.

Marines are billeted – or assigned sleeping quarters – in twos. Already earlier this year, Conway told Military.com that he "would not ask our Marines" to bunk in the same rooms with openly gay Marines. But exactly what about cohabitation worried him was unclear.

On Tuesday, pressed to explain, Conway pointed to the religious morality argument. He said one solution the corps could consider is “perhaps a voluntary basis” in which those Marines who do not object to homosexuality would agree to take on billets with their fellow, openly gay Marines. the rest