Life For Homosexuals : Is It A Choice?

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

The issue of gays in the military has been controversial in the United States for many decades. Over these decades there have been many different proposals as to what approach to take in order to handle the situation of homosexuals in the military. However, in 1992 when Bill Clinton was running for President of the United States, he made a promise to lift the ban on homosexuals in the military if he was elected (Washington Post). Bill Clinton followed through with his promise, and in December 1993 he instituted “a defense directive that military applicants should not to be asked about their sexual orientation” (Washington Post). This is now known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was the result

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

In the most publicized gay bashing, the dead body of Adam R. Schindler Jr., an American naval radioman, was found battered and disfigured in a public toilet in a park in Japan where he had been serving [Sterngold]. After revealing his homosexuality to his peers in the army, he had been left unrecognizably mutilated and beaten to death. In response, in 1993, the Clinton administration initiated “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” [DADT] which meant that military officers could not investigate a soldier’s sexual preference without reason and a soldier should not voluntarily disclose it [McGowan 4]. Historically, the US military had never directly banned gays, only their actions of sodomy, but a change occurred during the World Wars after the Christian

Another problem with the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy is that, if discovered, homosexuals will be discharged from the military. The discharge of a homosexual from the military, based on his personal life, is a violation of equal rights. Every human is different, but none should be judged separately based upon who they are. “We find unity in our incredible diversity, drawing on the promise enshrined in our Constitution: the notion that we are all created equal, that no matter who you are or what you look like, if you abide by the law you should be protected by it; that if you adhere to our common values you should be treated no different than anyone else” (Obama 1). This statement shows that the nation does know about equal rights and is pushing for equal rights; therefore, “don’t ask, don’t tell” needs to be repealed for the integrity of our nation.

January 20, 1950 – Army Regulation 600-443 is published, identifying three categories of homosexuals. Those deemed to be aggressive are placed in Class I and are subjected to general court-martial. Homosexuals considered active but non-aggressive are placed in Class II and can avoid a court-martial by accepting a dishonorable discharge – or resigning, if they are officers. Personnel professing or exhibiting homosexual tendencies without committing a violation of the sodomy statute are designated "Class III," and can be removed from service under general or honorable discharge.

The military leadership believed gay and lesbian service members were not fit for military service, were a security risk, threatened cohesion in the unit, and they violated the privacy of members of their units who were not gay. This outlook has however been refuted by policy makers, who according to Huffman et al., (2012) argued that sexual orientation was not a sufficient ground to reduce the performance of an individual during combat. General Powell alluded to this when putting a case for the group to a senate committee. According to Huffman et al., (2012) the rationale banning gays from military service also went against the just war theory since according to General Colin Powell the gays and lesbians were proud, brave and loyal citizens who deserved a chance to serve the nation. The ban on the gays also went against constitution on freedom of discrimination of all American citizens through race, color or creed. During my time in the service, I only had to chapter one Soldier out of the service due to the DADT, we didn’t know he was gay, until one night of drinking in the barracks, he made a pass at another Soldier and that Soldier reported him to his chain of

When President Bill Clinton signed the memorandum to the Secretary of Defense in 1993 to stop homosexual prejudices regarding who can serve in the U.S. military, he did not initiate the creation of a policy denying them that right. The policies enacted were to enforce the free rights of everyone. Just because people have read policies the way they want to interpret them shows that the policies, themselves, need to be amended, not repealed. Nor can the meaning behind the creation of said policies be let go. The repeal was ineffective due to the neutral effect it has had on military life, whilst bringing to light more issues that need to be resolved before achieving the desired result.

This topic is not new and made it first appearance during the revolutionary war when severing as a homosexual was considered a criminal offense (Herek). It then made a reappearance in 1942 when the army mobilization first included procedures or rejecting gay recruits (Herek). From that point on the ban was still in place that gays were not allowed in the military but were allowed to serve only when there was a shortage of personnel and they were needed (Herek). In the beginning of 1993 it appeared with the election of President Clinton the ban would be over turned (Herek). They would soon see that the ban would not be completely overturned when Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was created. DADT was created in 1993 and allowed gays to sever as long as they did not openly say they were gay and if they did they would be

(U.S Army, 1999) In 1993, Congress made a finding that any engagement, attempts to engage in or soliciting another to engage in homosexual acts is grounds for discharge from the military. It was decided those who have demonstrated a tendency to engage in homosexual acts creates an unacceptable risk to morale, good order and discipline, and unit cohesion. Therefore, the long-standing element of military law that prohibits homosexual conduct continues to be necessary in the unique circumstances of military service.

President Obama, during his run for President, promised that if he was elected the military policy of “don’t ask, don’t tell” would be repealed and that homosexuals would be allowed to serve openly in our US military. As we know, Obama was elected and he followed through with his promise as earlier this year the “don’t ask, don’t tell” was repealed. The purpose of this essay is to answer the question, why is this a big deal? How will it work? How will it be implemented in the military? Over the next few pages I hope to provide you insight into this controversial issue by providing you the background surround the laws covering homosexuals serving in the military, the argument from both sides of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” repeal, and finally how the implementation will occur in the military and what will be the problems when they finally put the new rules into effect.

While conducting research for my paper, I discovered that Gays, Lesbians, and Bisexuals (GLB) have been serving in the military before the United States was an independent country. In (2015) Pelts, Rolbiecki, and Albright reported that, Baron von Steuben was one of the first gay men in American History. He established the first military drill book and continues to be referenced in the present day in the U.S. Army Soldier’s Blue Book: this book discusses the standards of military conduct and the basis that a soldier needs to know to be successful when he or she goes into battle. General George Washington was motivated to ensure that Baron von Steuben

In 1999, more than 1,000 men and women were discharged from military service due to their sexuality. That number has actually decreased compared to recent years. (Suro NP) Homosexuals were purged from federal employment in 1950, with Bill Clinton updating that policy in 1993 by adding the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Don’t Pursue” policy. (Deicher 176) This policy doesn’t work and needs to either be updated again or the ban against homosexuals lifted. Gays should be allowed to fight for the military for employment reasons, the right to fight for one’s country, and because they are no different from anyone else. The fact of the matter is that not even experts can argue in favor of keeping the

There are many misconceptions of homosexual people. A common myth is that being gay/lesbian is a choice. There have been plenty of studies regarding this issue but all have mostly turned out to be inconclusive results. Scientists have been able to narrow down to the fact that it is partly genetic and biologically based. Personally, I don’t believe that it is a choice to be a homosexual, as much as it is to be born with colored eyes or to be born right or left handed. I just cannot fathom the idea that anyone would ever wake up and choose to be discriminated against and ridiculed by choice. (Moskowitz, 2011) It is a tough, long up-hill battle that they face against society just for falling in love or being attracted to someone of the same sex. Dating back to the early 1900’s, there has been historical figures rumored to have been homosexuals. According to the Huffington Post, “Abraham Lincoln, James Dean, Marlon Brando, Eleanor Roosevelt, Joan of Arc, Amelia Earhart, Alexander the Great, to name a few.” (Wong, 2012) These are all great and talented