It's Either All About Power and Position, or the Implication of Being Gay

The real problem as I see it is there is almost no difference between this:

A Navy petty officer facing discharge for falling asleep in bed with another male sailor last month says his ouster is motivated by homophobia, not a legitimate crime, a claim that has some gay rights advocates worried about life after "don't ask don't tell."

Stephen Jones, 21, a student at the Naval Nuclear Power Training Command in Charleston, S.C., says he and friend Brian McGee inadvertently fell asleep together while watching the "Vampire Diaries" on a computer in his quarters Feb. 6.

and this:

According to the report and other accounts, General Cartwright was working in his hotel room after midnight when the female aide, who had been drinking heavily with off-duty members of the security detail and communications team, entered the general’s room, distraught over a family health crisis.

The woman sat on a bench or divan at the end of General Cartwright’s bed, and passed out for about 45 minutes. The door to the general’s room was ajar and other aides entered and left as General Cartwright worked at a desk. When the officer awoke, she composed herself and returned to her room. (Her name has not been released.)

Oh that's right, one situation involves a General with a drunk female subordinate sleeping on his bed while the other involves two sober male heterosexual petty officers who were watching a late night movie and fell asleep next to each other.

As far as I can tell, if the facts are accurate and this petty officers "crime" was simply falling asleep in a bed next to a friend, the standard is clearly different for General Cartwright than it is for this petty officer, which means we have evidence of a legitimate double-standard.

So is the double-standard being applied to these two situations rooted in cultural homophobia or is it rooted in General Cartwright's position of power? Is there even a good answer to that question?

My point is this... I have read the full FOIA report of the investigation into General Cartwright and do not believe General Cartwright did something wrong. Actually that isn't true either, because the report highlights clear evidence of relaxed discipline for female subordinates. But as far as the decision to let the drunk subordinate sleep on his bed while he works, to me that is simply someone taking care of a friend in a paternal way.

However, unless I am missing some additional facts, I also don't see what this petty officer did wrong, and there is no evidence at all of any relaxed discipline issue unless accidentally falling asleep in the wrong place while off duty is an offense worth a discharge.

If the petty officer did do something wrong based on the facts available, the there is no question General Cartwright did too. Perhaps we should discharge General Cartwright? Nope, we intend to promote him to the highest rank in the military instead.

Huh?

Apparently in the Department of the Navy, it is either really good to be in a position of power, or it really sucks to be in any conversation where you may even be potentially thought to be homosexual, even when there is no evidence.