Don T Tell Policy Analysis

Many homosexuals that served in the Military prior to 2015 had to hide who they were and their loved ones throughout their career. They were forbidden to get married and receive the same benefits as their heterosexual

It was in December 1993 that Clinton issued a defense directive that military candidates should not be asked about their sexual orientation (Washington Post). This allowed gays who were not openly gay to serve in the military, however it still prohibited openly gay people to serve in the military. Over the years, the law has faced its share of challenges, many which ended up in a court room. In 2006, the Supreme Court unanimously upheld Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and the law was also upheld five times in federal courts (Washington Post). These doings have ultimately led up to the most recent actions involving the law. In 2008, President Obama campaigned on the promise that he would fully repeal the law (Washington Post). In 2010, both the Senate and House of Representatives voted to repeal the law, allowing President Obama to sign the repeal. (USNI) This repeal effectively ended a 17 year ban on open gays being able to serve in the United States military.

This condemnation eventually led to the introduction of the separation of homosexuals from military service as seen with the neutral blue discharges which were often given to homosexual servicemen starting in 1916 . This neutral discharge was then labeled “general” and “undesirable”, resulting in a less honorable discharge. Discharges concerning men who were found to be guilty in engaging in homosexual acts were severely different than those who were neutrally discharged. If this were the case then you were then dishonorably discharged (“Don't Ask, Don't Tell” - Wikipedia). The current policy of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Harass, Don't Pursue1, derived from the original 1993 Department of Defense Directive 1332.14 coined Don't Ask, Don't Tell, ensures that any American citizen can participate in the Armed Forces. This policy is a step-up from the usual immediate discharge, however, this is only if the service member does not identify

Karen O. Donovan 's article about military culture explores military tradition, and the impact social changes in society has on the military. These changes included the policy change regarding gays six years ago. At that time gays were acknowledged in the military when the military ended years old

Lately, there has been an outbreak of people of the LGBT community coming out in the military. Historically the United States has had a policy of discharging gays in the military. There has been an act called the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”, it is basically saying that as long as somebody does not ask about your gender preferences, you do not have to tell. Even though the ban has been lifted, many militaries still say they cannot accept anyone from the LGBT inside. They do not care about how well you can perform or your strengths and that mindset is going to come back and hit them in the long run. Militaries that are judging these kids are taking them away from somewhere they feel safe and a place where they can finally belong. Members of the LGBT community find refuge in the military. It was one of the only places where they can prove their worth, where people aren’t focusing on their sexuality. They shouldn’t be judged based on their sexual preferences. Instead, they should be judged on their personality, performance, and their ability to get the job done precisely and correctly.

The ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy is a major policy of the armed forces of the United States, and allows a number of people to serve their country. This policy restricts the United States armed forces from discovering gays, lesbians, and bisexuals. The ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy has, in a way, limited homosexuals from completely fulfilling their military duties by forcing them to serve in the military silent about their personal lives. The policy is a violation of equal rights, forces homosexuals to violate the military code of honor, and causes disputes among fellow soldiers and should be repealed.

There are claims that allowing gays and lesbians into the service openly about their sexual orientation is violation to all service members’ privacy. Officially, military commanders and investigators are required to respect service members’ privacy and are not allowed to investigate personnel for homosexuality. This action is described as a witch hunt. Witch hunts distract the service members from their work and the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” made this distraction easier. This causes interference with the ability for them to do their job performance effectively.

Just because someone may feel happy with being with someone of the same sex should not deprive them from being in the military. These people are just as capable as the next man or woman. There were and still are people in the military that were already transgender and they were still performing the same way any regular person would. But because they did not know that they were transgender they still did not judge them. “For many in the military, the concern about transgender soldiers has long been about unit cohesion and fighting readiness - the deep trust and close cooperation essential for every small unit, who must work and potentially fight shoulder to shoulder in the trenches. And transgender soldiers could upset this cohesiveness, critics say” (Bruinius 10). Before many of these people knew about the transgender soldiers they trusted them with their whole heart, so what is so different about them now that you find out they are of the opposite sex? Their ability to do has not changed at all, the only thing that’s different is the structure of their body. Their mindset was always the same, their heart, their love for their country is still there, it will always be. So why should someone be discriminated for being gay or a transgender. These people are not just being judged based on who they are, they are

Army Captain and Intelligence Officer, Jennifer Peace, is a transgender who has been in the military for years and she feels like her and many others are being treated unfairly. While Trish King and Ken Ochoa are in the same situation, they found out by the tweets President Trump made banning them from serving our country. All three of the service members agree that they they are going to keep serving the military until somebody tells them to quit showing up. For those who do not know much about the military, the Navy SEALs are the most respect people in the armed forces. Kristin Beck, retired Navy SEAL, on SEAL Team 6, and left with a Purple Heart, said “Transgender people are some of the most patriotic people in the country” (Mazziotta). Beck went public in 2013 about being transgender, she

The Don’t Ask Don’t tell act which prevented openly gay and lesbians from serving in the United States Armed forces was placed into law on December 21st, 1993. It states that the military cannot discriminate against any gay, lesbian or bisexual person as long as they are discreet about their sexuality. They believed that any persons showing or acting in homosexual behavior would go against strict military moral codes and policy. However on September 20th, 2011 the Don’t ask Don’t Tell was repealed because the government felt it was discriminatory against homosexuals. I agree that openly gay and lesbians should able to serve in the military because nobody should have to hide who they are in order to serve and

Sparking a worldwide controversy, President Donald Trump reinstates the military ban on transgender individuals. On September 20, 2011, President Barack Obama repealed the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. The policy which allowed gay, lesbian, and bisexual

During this war homosexual men and women were isolated to volunteer and to serve in the war. The don’t ask don’t tell was a way to keep homos in the closet that law Clinton made did not protect them at all. Later the acceptance of gays became worldwide. But a marine commandant felt that gays in a uniform would be a distraction that would get marines killed. But as time went by there was a law that was passed that gave gay men and women the right to serve in the military. This meant so to people that one of the air force pilot wrote a book about the change of the

This policy turned out to be a flop and wasn’t taken very seriously, as the higher ranked officers did not punish violators of the rule and some didn’t abide by it themselves. So later on, the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy was modified to the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Don’t Pursue” policy, to try and cut down on violators of this law. This has been working to a point, but needs to be changed to teach and inform all members of the army about gays and lesbians, and to also discipline quickly and severely the members of the military that would be considered harassment, including verbal abuse, sometimes known as gay bashing.

For nearly 50 years, it has been the U.S. military's official policy to exclude homosexuals from service. In November 1992, President - elect Clinton told Americans that he planned to lift the military's long - standing ban on gays and lesbians. Homosexual men and women, he said, should not be prevented from serving their country based on their sexual orientation. Soon after taking office in 1993, Clinton faced powerful military and congressional opposition to lifting the ban. General Colin Powell, then - chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Senator Sam Nunn, who was chairman of the Senate Armed Forces Committee between 1987 an 1994 and left Congress in 1996, announced that they would seek to block his attempts to lift the ban.

Many individuals were highly gracious at this idea, no matter the negativity that surrounds this topic. When referencing to the article by the New York Times on Ashton Carter’s announcement, he states “Americans who want to serve and can meet our standards should be afforded the opportunity to compete to do so. After all, our all-volunteer force is built upon having the most qualified Americans” (Rosenberg, 2016). The article’s point of view perceives an appreciative tone towards the U.S. military members and how much they sacrifice. For their sacrifices, the government is willing to help formulate policies that can open doors to a new tolerance and acceptance towards sexual identity. Through my discovery of this change in policy, I realized how much this will help not only the individuals who are suffering from this condition but it will help the companionship of the military. I struggle with being completely open with my fellow service members because of the tension there was on the topic of sexual identity. After hearing the statements made by both the Secretary of Defense and the Defense Secretary, I felt like I am part of a whole different world now that there is an understanding of the struggles and tolls taken to maintain personal happiness in such a demanding career. Having higher authorities who are able to implement policies amongst the U.S. government who have vital points of views on this controversial