NY National Guard officer discharged over pledge pin

... or something just as serious.

A military administrative board recommended Tuesday that a National Guard officer who publicly announced he's gay should be discharged for violating the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

Lt. Dan Choi would be the first New York National Guard member discharged for violating the policy against homosexual conduct, said Lt. Col. Paul Fanning, a spokesman for the New York Army National Guard.

How about taking a reality check?

Most Western military forces have removed policies excluding sexual minority members; of the 26 countries that participate militarily in NATO, more than 20 permit open lesbians, gays, or bisexuals to serve.

Of the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, two (United Kingdom and France) do so. The other three generally do not: China bans gays and lesbians outright, Russia excludes all gays and lesbians during peacetime but allows some gay men to serve in wartime, and the US.

Other countries than ban gays and lesbians in the military? Cuba, North Korea, South Korea, Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Venezuela, Syria and Iran.

Nice company fellas.