Military brass have been far less tolerant since then, and women have borne the brunt of the crackdowns. No statistics exist to prove or disprove the widespread perception that there are a higher percentage of lesbians than gay men in the military. But servicewide, women are three times more likely to be investigated and discharged for homosexuality-six times more likely in the Marine Corps. Curiously, though, women have been largely left out of the debate over lifting the ban on homosexuals. “The big hysteria is about showers and bunks and fears of straight men,” says Tanya Domi, a retired lesbian army captain now with the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. “There’s been no discussion about how this impacts women.”

Women’s activists say that the ban, and the pernicious “lesbian-baiting” that accompanies it, have cast a cloud over all women as they fight for respect in the military ranks. ,if I act like a female, they think I’m weak and can’t do my job," says “Sara,” a noncommissioned army officer at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas,who has kept her lesbianism a secret . . . if I’m overly aggressive, they think I’m manly and therefore must be a queer." Some gay and straight women alike say they have sometimes agreed to have sex with men rather than be hit with an accusation of lesbianism. Those who have reported sexual harassment by men often find their own sexual practices investigated instead. Military officials “are much more interested in investigating lesbians than they are in investigating sexual-harassment cases,” says Randy Shilts, author of “Conduct Unbecoming: Lesbians and Gays in the U.S. Military.” Air force Lt. Heidi De Jesus was “outed” last August after she rejected a male colleague’s persistent advances. Investigators at Goodfellow AFB in Texas put her off-base home under surveillance for 12 days and learned of her relationship with Airman 1/c Laura Little, who told intimate details in exchange for an honorable discharge. De Jesus is still fighting her pending discharge and challenging the ban in the federal courts.

Despite the harsh prosecutions of women, most of the military’s objections to homosexuality focus on the threats straight men fear from gays. Some women find that laughable: “These guys who operate multimillion-dollar aircraft and tanks are afraid somebody’s going to hit on them,” says Domi. “Maybe they’ll understand how women feel all the time.” In general, military women feel less threatened by homosexuality than men do. In a recent Los Angeles Times poll, 76 percent of army men but only 55 percent of army women opposed lifting the ban.

But some straight military women do say that they feel uneasy about the lesbians among them. Tricia Schwartz, who saw active duty in the Persian Gulf with the Oregon National Guard, says one officer was open about her sexuality and made suggestive comments to women in her unit. “When she was in the shower, no one wanted to go there,” says Schwartz. “I was more concerned about her looking at me than I was about getting my job done.“But most military lesbians insist that they lead lonely, celibate lives out of fear of exposure.

As the July 15 deadline nears for President Clinton to decide whether and how to lift the ban, more lesbians are stepping forward publicly. Some have found themselves in legal limbo between military and civilian courts. Last week a navy administrative board said it was compelled under current military policy to recommend discharge for reserve Lt. Zoe Dunning, a Naval Academy graduate who announced her homosexuality at a rally in January. Dunning’s attorneys argued that the hearing itself was improper, since one federal court has declared the military ban unconstitutional. Her case now goes up the chain of command for final action. But the brass may well decide to wait and see if Clinton holds fast for lesbians, just like Ike.