The Rights of Homesexuals to Serve in the Military Essay

Obama signed a repeal of the 'Don't ask, Don't tell' which allowed gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military. A great moment in the gay community was when Barack Obama repealed the 'don't ask, don't tell' after 17 years of that law being in affect. This policy forced gays to hide their sexual orientation or face dismissal because of their sexual preference. Obama says, "No longer will tens of thousands of Americans in uniform be asked to live a lie, or look over their shoulder in order to serve the country that they love.("Obama signs Repeal")". The signing ceremony was a breakthrough moment for the nations gay community and also it made the gay community involved in the military appreciate Obama("Obama Signs Repeal"). Obama couldn't be prouder to repeal the 'don't ask, don't tell" act."I say to all Americans, gay or straight, who want nothing more than to defend this country in uniform, your country needs you,

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

Justin Cook is a student at Stanton College Preparatory who is currently in the eleventh grade. Cook is enrolled in an AP Psychology and takes a great interest in connecting the work he does in the class to the work in his other current classes. In this essay, Cook presents his argument on why homosexuals should be permitted to serve in the American Armed Forces primarily from a psychological standpoint. Cook is an active advocate for human rights and the equality of homosexuals. He is also an active supporter of The Trevor Project which is the only American non-profit organization that runs a 24/7 suicide and crisis prevention helpline for gay and questioning youth.

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

The second point of how life would change is in the barracks. If you knew that someone in your barracks or platoon was gay or lesbian would you want them there? Would you just not worry about them or would you go to a higher ranked person and asked if the gay or lesbian be removed? Personally if I knew that a gay or lesbian person bunked next to me or above me I would have a problem with it. There’s a difference between someone that acts homosexual and a person that acts straight around straight people but act gay around gays. People that are gay and engage in homosexual activities should be discharged and not allowed to serve in the

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.

Now that the policy has been repealed gays finally have the same rights as us and hopefully they can be better accepted into our society. Of course there are still some people who do not believe that Don’t ask Don’t tell should not have been repealed.

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

and came to the national stage during the first Clinton term. Along with the US Congress, President Clinton took part in the national debate on whether admitted gay and lesbian enlistees were permitted to serve in the United States military after making campaigns promises to broaden civil right to gay Americans, the former president was met with strong opposition when he tried to fulfill this promise from members of congress as well as the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Notwithstanding their impediment, on January 29, 1993, former President Clinton suspended the former order which excluded gay enlistees from service. In 1994, Clinton and congress passed the National Defense Authorization Act, which is commonly referred to as “Don’t Ask, Ask, Don’t

Homosexual’s lives are basically ruined because they spent everything they had to learn and train to be in the armed forces to protect our country and now they are being kicked out left and right just because of their sexual orientation. A woman is her 40’s, Lisa Young, had 50,000 dollars to her name in the military, with no job experience outside the military, when she was discharged, this left her worried that she would be blocked from re-entering the military because of her age (Conant 2). After she was discharged, she lost all of her money that she earned by being in the armed forces. It is really sad because so many talented service men and women like, pilots, linguists, and trained gunners, sit on the sidelines, while watching the military loosen their restrictions on high-school drop-outs and former drug users (convicted felons), into the armed forces (Conant 3). Why would they rather former convicted felons and even high-school drop-outs in the military, rather than homosexuals, who would most likely be more loyal and trusting than convicted felons especially?

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

The Clinton administration and military leaders defend the current policy and the way it has been enforced. They argue that allowing gay people to serve openly would harm military readiness by destroying troops' morale and disrupting order and discipline. Policy defenders argue that the military is a special institution that holds itself to stricter rules than those observed by the rest of society. Because the armed forces must fulfill the crucial mission of defending the U.S. and its allies, they say, its leaders' views on how to achieve optimal readiness should be respected. Pentagon officials say that while they believe the current policy is working well, they will investigate cases of alleged abuse.

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