Dont Ask Dont Tell Policy
Political Science 103
May 2012
Don’t Ask Don’t Tell
With the eradication of the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Policy, how does one benefit even if they have the choice not to expose their sexuality? The policy prohibited military personnel from discriminating against or harassing closeted homosexual or bisexual service members or applicants, while barring openly gay, lesbian, or bisexual persons from military service. To avoid being barred or harassed from the military because of sexuality, exposing it wouldn’t be necessary. Others, who are openly homosexual, felt the need to not hide that they are which before prohibited them from joining the military. What the actual benefits of lifting this policy? 'Don 't ask, don 't tell ' repeal lets gays and lesbians serve openly. What if they feel this repeal doesn’t benefit because they are in fact still at risk of being discriminated against.
The policy began in 1993, regarding lesbians and gay men in the U.S military. Service personnel would be discharged for homosexual conduct but not simply for being gay. Therefore, military commanders do not ask military personnel about their sexual orientations or begin an investigation only if they engaged homosexual conduct. If a person acknowledges his or her homosexuality publicly, military commander’s thinks that he or she intends to engage in homosexual conduct. The policy was a compromise in which President Bill Clinton sought to repeal the military 's ban on gay personnel, and the opponents of that repeal in Congress. The policy failed to meet Clinton 's goals of decreasing discharges for homosexuality and reducing harassment of lesbian and gay military personnel.
President Obama, who certified the repeal stated, "Our military will no longer be deprived of the talents and skills of patriotic Americans just because they happen to be gay or lesbian.” The U.S. military spent months preparing for the repeal, updating regulations and training to reflect the changes, and the
May 2012
Don’t Ask Don’t Tell
With the eradication of the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Policy, how does one benefit even if they have the choice not to expose their sexuality? The policy prohibited military personnel from discriminating against or harassing closeted homosexual or bisexual service members or applicants, while barring openly gay, lesbian, or bisexual persons from military service. To avoid being barred or harassed from the military because of sexuality, exposing it wouldn’t be necessary. Others, who are openly homosexual, felt the need to not hide that they are which before prohibited them from joining the military. What the actual benefits of lifting this policy? 'Don 't ask, don 't tell ' repeal lets gays and lesbians serve openly. What if they feel this repeal doesn’t benefit because they are in fact still at risk of being discriminated against.
The policy began in 1993, regarding lesbians and gay men in the U.S military. Service personnel would be discharged for homosexual conduct but not simply for being gay. Therefore, military commanders do not ask military personnel about their sexual orientations or begin an investigation only if they engaged homosexual conduct. If a person acknowledges his or her homosexuality publicly, military commander’s thinks that he or she intends to engage in homosexual conduct. The policy was a compromise in which President Bill Clinton sought to repeal the military 's ban on gay personnel, and the opponents of that repeal in Congress. The policy failed to meet Clinton 's goals of decreasing discharges for homosexuality and reducing harassment of lesbian and gay military personnel.
President Obama, who certified the repeal stated, "Our military will no longer be deprived of the talents and skills of patriotic Americans just because they happen to be gay or lesbian.” The U.S. military spent months preparing for the repeal, updating regulations and training to reflect the changes, and the
Cited: Barnes, J. (2011). Military gay ban to end in 60 days. doi: Wall Street Journal Burrelli, D. U.S Congress, Congressional Research Service. (2010). “don’t ask, don’t tell”: The law and military policy on same-sex behavior Demarest, E. (Editor) (2011). lee reinhart, veteran discharged under 'don 't ask, don 't tell, ' re-enlists in military [Web]. Retrieved from http://nbcchicago.com Gates, Gary J. (2007). Effects of "Don 't Ask, Don 't Tell" on Retention Among Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Military Personnel. UC Los Angeles: The Williams Institute. Retrieved from: http://escholarship.org/uc/item/0xt6v6tn Moradi, B. (2009). Attitudes of iraq and afghanistan war veterans toward gay and lesbian service members. Armed Forces Society OnlineFirst, doi: 10.1177/0095327X09352960 Seerfried, J. (2011). Our time: Breaking the silence of "don 't ask, don 't tell”. The Penguin Press.