Military retaining more gays

Representative Martin T. Meehan, a Lowell Democrat, has sponsored legislation to repeal ''don't ask, don't tell," citing figures from the US Government Accountability Office reporting that hundreds of gay soldiers who have been dismissed in recent years were trained in specialties considered crucial in the war on terrorism.

Yet the number of instances in which gay soldiers and their lawyers have persuaded commanders to drop investigations indicates that the standards for discharge are being applied less stringently, according to the data.

''During wartime the military is always desperate," said Aaron Belkin, director of the Center for Sexual Minorities in the Military and a political science professor at the University of California at Santa Barbara. ''There have been a declining number of discharges when the bullets start flying."

Meanwhile, there is a growing body of evidence that attitudes have changed within the ranks. A recent study by the Naval Postgraduate School found that a majority of military personnel felt comfortable around openly gay colleagues.

''There is no doubt that the attitudes within the military have changed," said Belkin.