sentences:  The court held that homosexuals constitute a "suspect class" and that the court must apply "strict scrutiny" to determine whether there is a compelling state interest that justifies a statute or regulation that distinguishes homosexuals as a category.Using that analysis, the panel held that the exclusion of homosexuals from military service violated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.It specifically addressed only exclusion based on someone's sexual orientation (homosexuality as status), not exclusion based on behaviors associated with one's sexual orientation (homosexuality as conduct).