• Systems in which gays and lesbians fully participate in the armed forces, in line with international non-discrimination standards; • “Don’t ask, don’t tell” systems, which represent a third way of dealing with homosexuality in the armed forces by allowing gays and lesbians to serve as long as they do not declare and/or manifest their sexual orientation. Box 14.3 gives a more comprehensive overview of the policies of selected OSCE participating States (i.e., states that replied to the ODIHR-DCAF questionnaire on the human rights of armed forces personnel). 287 Box 14.3 Are Lesbians and Gays Entitled to Serve in the Armed Forces of OSCE Participating States?287 State Austria Azerbaijan Belarus Belgium Bulgaria Canada Croatia Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Greece Georgia Germany Ireland Latvia Lithuania Entitled to serve? yes no yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes no yes yes yes yes yes State Luxembourg Malta Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Russian Federation Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom United States Entitled to serve? yes yes yes yes yes yes yes no yes yes yes yes yes no yes yes yes Explicit bans on gays in the military A small group of OSCE countries have an explicit ban on gays and lesbians in the military. As Box 14.3 shows, this is the case, for example, in Greece and Turkey. The Greek army bars gays from its ranks in accordance with a 2002 presidential decree that excludes from military service all persons suffering from psycho-sexual or sexualidentity disorders, excluding both those serving under its compulsory conscription system and those enlisting voluntarily. In February 2006, the Greek State Committee on Human Rights, which advises the prime minister, demanded that steps be taken to end anti-gay discrimination in the country. No such measures have been taken.288 Lesbians and gays fully participate in the armed forces Many other OSCE participating States entitle gays and lesbians to serve in their armed forces (see Box 14.3). Under this approach, the necessity of guaranteeing military readiness does not imply the exclusion of homosexual personnel. The military evaluates performance 287  ODIHR-DCAF questionnaire, question 81. 288  “Greece does not want gays in its armed forces”, Political Gateway, 28 March 2006, quoted in ILGA Europe Euro-letter, No. 130, April 2006, available at <http://www.steff.suite.dk/eurolet/eur_130.pdf>. 134 Handbook on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of Armed Forces Personnel