Preview

Don't Ask; Don't Tell and Why It should be repealed

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
528 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Don't Ask; Don't Tell and Why It should be repealed
In 1993 President William Clinton signed into law a policy that effectively bans gay, lesbian, and bisexual service in the military. This policy, Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT), gave the armed forces the right to discharge a soldier based on their sexual preferences. There are two main parts to the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. In the Don’t Ask section of the policy, a commander is not allowed to ask, and service members are not required to disclose their sexual orientation. The other part, Don’t Tell, claims a basis for discharge exists if "the member has said that he or she is a homosexual or bisexual, or made some other statement that indicates a propensity or intent to engage in homosexual acts." This act is seen as unconstitutional by many Americans and is currently hurting our military when we need it the most. The Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy strips many rights away from gay, lesbian, and bisexual soldiers that are serving. A gay soldier must lie and hide his or her true identity on a daily basis. Gay service members who live openly and share information about their spouses, significant others, or dating life risk investigation and involuntary expulsion. Under DADT, any statement that one is gay, to anyone, at any time, before or after enlistment, can be reason for investigation and discharge. Your life is a constant liability to your career when you are gay in the military. There is no way any other form of discrimination would be considered acceptable within the armed forces. Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell makes it impossible for a homosexual to live the life they chose, even though they are willing to give their life protecting their country. The problems encountered are endless. How does a young gay soldier live with his partner when he is forced to live in the barracks because the Army does not recognize his marriage? How can a soldier receive emergency leave for a spouse who does not exist, according to the Army? How is it possible to incorporate your

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Each American president has had to deal with controversial issues and sometimes scandals during their administration terms in office. How they address, or avert the issue impacts the perception to their leadership capability for our republic. Their policies are sculpted often by public opinion and historical context. President William Clinton is no exception and his handling of the “Don’t ask, Don’t tell” controversy indicates that his policies, openly excluded gay and bisexual people from military service, and this shaped how America treated people of difference.…

    • 1241 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Don T Ask Dont Tell Essay

    • 345 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The applicant contends that besides the psychological treatment she was receiving, no one tried to help her and she was forced to sleep in a cage in the office. While they loomed over her all night saying the dyke is in the zoo. The applicant contends that she was all alone, threatened physically and was emotionally abused by nearly every person at Aberdeen Proving Grounds. The applicant contends that the witch hunt was constant and the avenues for assistances completely cut off because if he told the truth, she would be forced out under homosexual conduct. The applicant contends that during Christmas Exodus she did not intended to stay gone and she has all the intention of returning her unit. The applicant contends that she is sorry, she had to keep her identity a secret and could not tell what was really wrong. The applicant further contends that she was good Soldier abused by her fellow service member every day and this why she feel her discharge is grossly unjust. The applicant contends that she has since graduated from college and legally married to a…

    • 345 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Boy Scouts Case Summary

    • 547 Words
    • 3 Pages

    This is hard case to deal with because there are not many laws that will protect the LGBT group. There are tricky ways in which the law can be walked around it. In this case of homosexual discrimination the law looked on the discrimination part, but they took a turn where they made it seem as if the Boys Scout organization was having their right of free expression and association violated and this made them get out of the trouble they were in before. After doing this research I have learned more about the LGBT society and the amount of discrimination they are going through. More than that I am surprised how can the law be manipulated to make it seem as if the LGBT society is not being discriminated but organizations have the right to decide who do they let in or not without considering the person. This is extremely hard to analyze but I am glad that I took a chance to go in depth and draw my own conclusions and learn how laws are put in…

    • 547 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Equality for soldiers of different sexual orientations has come slowly. In 1993 President Clinton enacted a policy which is known as “Don’t ask, don’t tell”. This rule allowed soldiers who did not openly discuss their homosexuality to legally serve in the military. Before that just being discovered as being gay was enough to get you an immediate dishonorable discharge. Some people were very worried that gay soldiers would pursue unwanted romantic relationships with their straight fellow soldiers and cause lots of discomfort in the barracks and in combat situations. Others worried that gay soldiers would be targets of harassment by straight soldiers. Both of these worries turned out to be unfounded and in 2010 soldiers of all sexual orientations…

    • 155 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    It does seem logical to send home the homosexual soldier in order to prevent this unit cohesion. However this appearance of credibility changes when the other side of the argument is given. It is more logical to send home the “soldier who has prejudice in his heart, in this space where the military asks him to hold our core American values, [..]” (Gaga). When the logic is actually on the repealing side, this means that DADT has to be based off of morality. Former President Bill Clinton decided to make a compromise, but Gaga claims he did not make the decision that portrayed what America stands for. She believes he made the decision that had more morality and not more logic, and the reasons she and many others give for this accusation, outweighs the reasons given to say…

    • 2067 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Satire - Family Guy

    • 258 Words
    • 2 Pages

    * Don't ask, don't tell is the common term for the policy about homosexuality in the U.S. military the policy prohibits anyone who "demonstrate(s) a propensity or intent to engage in homosexual acts" from serving in the armed forces of the United States, because "it would create an unacceptable risk to the high standards of morale, good order and discipline, and unit cohesion that are the essence of military capability." The act prohibits any homosexual or bisexual person from disclosing his or her sexual orientation or from speaking about any homosexual relationships, including marriages or other familial attributes, while serving in the United States armed forces. The "don't ask" part of the policy indicates that superiors should not initiate investigation of a service member's orientation in the absence of disallowed behaviors, though mere suspicion of homosexual behavior can cause an investigation.…

    • 258 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    "Facts Undermine Support For Don’t Ask Don’t Tell." Washington Examiner. 09 Feb. 2010. Web. 14 Apr. 2011.…

    • 826 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Best Essays

    “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was in effect from 1993 until 2011 and was the official policy that prohibited the United States Military from harassing or discriminating against closeted gay, lesbian and bisexual service members but, at the same time, barred openly gay, lesbian and bisexual service members from serving at all. As such, it bred, in the U.S. Military, an environment of secrecy designed to keep individuals in the closet. Now that the policy has been repealed, there is an expectation, among some, that everyone is free to, and should, come out.…

    • 1894 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    During the 1940s through 1960s, many LGBT struggle through their lifestyle, they were eventually seen as threat to the American security,Homosexuality was not condoned in the military, that homosexual soldiers were dishonorably discharged.However small group began stepping forward by expanding the cultural knowledge of the gay world, exposing people who may have never known of its existence.…

    • 80 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Conservatives and military leaders protested the change, so to try and appease both sides, they compromised and started a “Don’t ask, don’t tell”, which continued the ban on gays in the military but prevented officers from asking service members about their sexual orientation. Clinton held more success in foreign affairs rather than domestic…

    • 925 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    (Park, July 2008)States the Canadian Military makes up a small but significant segment of Canadian Society. The Canadian Forces (CF) are an important part of the country’s national image both home and abroad. It is not strange that there is sexual harassment in the Canadian Armed Forces, however members who dedicate their time and commitment to serve for their country should not be subjected to such behaviors. The external Review Authority found that there is an underlying issue of sexual harassment with specifics to women and LGBTBQ members. However sexual harassment is not only a problem for women or LBTBQ members but one that questions the professionalism and ethics of the Canadian Armed Forces. According to Oxford Dictionary Sexual Harassment…

    • 1323 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    EO In The Military

    • 3149 Words
    • 13 Pages

    The mission of equal opportunity in the military is the fair treatment of all soldiers in the military. Equal Opportunity (EO) program formulates, directs, and sustains a comprehensive effort to maximize human potential to ensure fair treatment for military personnel, family members, and civilians without regard to race, color, gender, religion, or national origin, and provide an environment free of unlawful discrimination and offensive behavior. Some of the things that are encompassed by this are not having artificial barriers prejudices or preferences. Unless there is a valid reason for it I.E. ( Pvt. Snuffy D. not being eligible to go to WLC because of his rank), these kinds of instances are justified in they require specific criteria like rank. The people that are in the military are there for a reason they went through the same struggles as you did to get where you are now just maybe in different circumstances so that does not make it okay to discriminate against them for their race, ethnicity, gender, or creed. Everyone is the same we just look different.…

    • 3149 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    References: Institutional inequality denying benefits to lesbian, gay and bisexual veterans. Hecht, B Emily (2008) http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=34796299&site=ehost-live…

    • 1931 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The soldiers of the United States Army are the best in the world and I was one of them for twenty years. During my time as a paratrooper in the Army, I received my gender role socialization and learned to become a “man”. Within the Army there are specialized types of units designed to accomplish different types of missions. Some of the most elite units are those that are made up of paratroopers that can perform special missions through airborne insertion. Becoming a paratrooper was one of the best things I accomplished in the Army.…

    • 620 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Gay Marriage

    • 360 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Gay marriage has been a highly discussed subject for the past few years, causing tension in places of work, churches, and even at home. It has caused discrimination in numerous work places including the military with "Don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) being the official policy from December 21, 1993 to September 20, 2011.…

    • 360 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays