In Lithuania, every young man is obligated to give his country nine  months of military service. However, gay men are, apparently, not welcome.

 

Applicants for service are selected randomly to take a psychological assessment to determine if they have the right qualities to serve. Recruits are asked if they like flowers or have ever considered becoming a florist. Say yes, and you are totally gay and unfit to serve.

 

Men are also asked if they ever wanted to be a woman. Say yes, and you're not welcome.

 

"I use it as a criteria to screen them out," explained psychiatrist Kęstutis Ramanauskas. “Even though it is claimed that it is not a disease, but it is. Wrong orientation is a psycho-behavioural disorder. Even though some disagree.

 

“But a person like that will be bullied in the army, he will not be able to serve out the nine-month term.”

 

The Lithuanian Minister of Defence disagrees. “Our laws and decrees do not include any discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation," he said. "The army is open to both heterosexual and homosexual individuals, we do not reject troops fit to serve in Lithuania’s Armed Forces by [that] principle.”

 

Maybe he should tell the military's psychiatrist that.