Don't+Ask,+Don't+Tell

Chelsea Wysong

Homosexual individuals have long been members of our nation’s military. To better understand the current situation, it is necessary to first look at the history of the policies related to this matter. Homosexual men in the military dates back to the 1770s when the first reported dismissal of a gay member was recorded due to homosexual sodomy. Before the Second World War, individuals with homosexual preferences were viewed as mentally ill and disqualified or discharged on the basis of psychological illness. By the 1940s, homosexuals were completely banned from the military. During the 1960s and 1970s, closeted homosexuals were dismissed at an ever increasing rate. However, in some cases, superior officers chose to allow the gay officer to remain if it was in the military’s best interest. The “queen for a day” exemption was a popular defense, basically stating that the homosexual action was a one-time deviance from the officer’s normal behavior. In 1981 the Department of Defense issued a bold statement that said “Homosexuality is incompatible with military service.” Anyone who was found to be gay was honorably discharged and homosexuals were openly barred from enlisting.

“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, the military’s policy on homosexuals serving our country, was enacted in 1993 by then President Bill Clinton. This policy allowed homosexuals to actively serve in the armed forces as long as they kept their sexual preference to themselves and didn’t act on them. In return, their superiors and colleagues could not question them regarding their sexual orientation. During the 1990’s, there was great debate regarding the policy. While originally designed to eliminate the witch hunts that gays had been subjected to, it seemed to serve only to further antagonize these persecutions. Supposed confidential conversations were used to start investigations that would subsequently result in dismissal or the refusal to allow an officer to reenlist. Lawsuits were filed in civilian courts, debating the Constitutional rights related to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”. While many courts ruled against the policy, they did not have the authority to overturn it on the federal level. By 2005, the Pentagon had spent more than 200 million dollars replacing servicemen and women who had been dismissed during a time when our country was at war in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and there was a desperate need for more troops, the military was turning away and dismissing soldiers based on their sexual preferences.

Emotional scars were starting to become more obvious as the matter of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” became more controversial. Several officers were beaten to death by fellow serviceman upon discovery of their sexual preference. Servicemen and women felt they were fighting proudly for a country that was not proud of them. After the events of 9/11 one officer realized that if she had been killed her long-time partner would never have been notified as she had been too afraid to ever put her on any emergency paperwork.

Opposition to gays in the military was based on many different stances. Some critics believed that homosexuality was morally wrong and therefore should not be tolerated anywhere at any time. Others cited breakdown in unit cohesion, trust, and cooperation, if gays were permitted to serve. Others were merely concerned with housing gay and straight service members in close quarters and the uncomfortable situations that could cause.

Supporters of gays in the military felt that “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was a violation of civil rights, arguing that homosexuals had to lie to protect their positions in the military. In addition, dismissal of over 12,000 homosexual service members resulted in other policies being relaxed in order to competently staff the forces. Between 2003 and 2006, over 106,000 individuals with serious criminal histories were accepted into the military to help replenish troops. Supporters were quick to point out the “moral” hypocrisy.

The beginning of the end of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” finally came with the inauguration of Barack Obama as President on January 20, 2009. An outspoken advocate of repealing the policy Obama had made it a campaign promise to do so. Aiding his resolve was an increasing tolerance of homosexuals in general and the support of servicemen and the public alike. Military personnel felt that they were being deprived of personnel with specialized skills at a time when they needed it the most. Even the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Michael Mullen, and Defense Secretary Robert Gates, supported repealing the policy. Mullen was conflicted about “forcing young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens” and Gates felt that a “fairer manner” in dealing with the policy needed to be installed. Polls showed that support for gays in the military was widespread among younger service members and civilians. Obama and Vice-President Joe Biden set a goal to have the repeal in place by the end of 2010.

Stating that this law “will strengthen our national security and uphold the ideals our fighting men and women defend,” President Barack Obama signed into law a repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy on December 22, 2010. Once Congress and the Defense Secretary certify that, the military is prepared to put in place the repeal, and following a 60 day waiting period, the 17 year old ban will officially be removed from the books.

Most importantly, many individuals who considered the armed services to be their life missions will be able to return to the jobs they once were forced to leave…with their heads held high and their pride made public.