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.…
He conveys this by quoting the Secretary of Defense Ash Carter. To inform that the Secretary of Defense Ash Carter announced the Military Equal Opportunity Policy that would benefit the gay and lesbian servicemen and women. Race, color, sex, age and national origin would not matter due to the Equal Opportunity Policy. The contribution to National Defense is what matters, as well as the diversity in America because there is no place for discrimination. Wanting the people to be informed about these new changes in our military.…
On the other hand, it is also a homosexuals human and moral rights. Every homosexual has the right to be jubilant in the same way that heterosexuals are. Each individual has their own morals, although some may not agree. A USC Aiken senior, Micah Hurtt, says, "Some people cannot separate the religious aspect. It is not a matter of religious right or wrong morals; it is inequality." Even though heterosexuals have different morals, homosexuals still have the right to be…
I think we should recognize that fact and move on. “The official justification for the current policy is the unit cohesion rationale, which states that military performance would decline if known gay and lesbian soldiers were permitted to serve in uniform.” (Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, Is the Gay Ban Based on Military Necessity? Belkin, Aaron 2003, pg 109) Our nation has far more important things to worry about than the sexual orientation of our armed forces who patriotically volunteer to serve this fine country. The only immorality is denying able citizens their equal protection of laws. Recently some have been gone as far as to challenge the doctrine of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy claiming it is not sufficient in removing gay people from the military. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Peter Pace upset many when he expressed his support towards the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell" ban on gays serving in the…
Overall, gay adoption is an option to consider. Since gay adoption is increasing adoption rates have raised drastically. Compared to others, gay parents have even excel in many aspects of parenting. There are many positives and negatives that go along with this issue. To further this subject matter there should be more awareness that gay adoption is a valuable option.…
Although brothel visits usually involved encounters between a man and a woman, they often divide themselves by whose perspective they focus on. The final category analyzes little of the prostitutes own thoughts or emotions during these liaisons, but rather the men. Many members of the BEF kept their own personal journals in which they recorded their experiences along and behind the Western Front in France. Despite extramarital sex being a hushed topic, some soldiers still felt comfortable enough to write about the brothels they observed or visited, these sources are the main focus of historians who study the male heterosexuality of the BEF.…
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…
The LGBTQ community has developed and changed over the years, gradually becoming more inclusive of all types of sexual and gender identities. It brings a sense of belonging to a group of people and gives many that land in the span of the LGBTQ spectrum places that they know they can go to where they will be accepted. However the community that queer people have built around them and the acceptance of the diversity and complexity of how people identify themselves does not always transfer into other aspects of life. The LGBTQ spectrum is ever changing adding new identities all the time, however they are not always readily accepted by all. Gender and sexual fluidity being among the ones that have had to face their battles to have basic rights…
The Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy states that a soldier does not need to tell anybody their sexuality (whether they are homosexual or heterosexual), and on the same hand nobody in the military asks about it. In 2010, President Obama wanted to repeal the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, which has definitely allowed for many debates people several different people. Some people are for the repeal, meaning they think that sexuality should not be hidden in the army and that everyone is entitled to their own opinions. People who are for the repeal want to be considered equal and think that it should not matter whether they are homosexual in the military. Others, however, are against the repeal, which means they think that one’s sexuality should be hidden. If Obama were to continue with the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell repeal, it would not make any sense whatsoever. Repealing this law would not only lose straight men and women and cause more sexual tensions and assaults, but it would also change the way the military fights and defends as well as making recruiting for the military more difficult.…
Throughout history Americans have seen many pushes for equality that have changed what America is today, including the Civil Rights Movement and Women’s Suffrage. However, today Americans are faced with a new movement; the homosexual movement. Homosexuals have been discriminated against for hundreds of years. A recent controversy that activists are fighting for is homosexuals being able to fight in the armed forces openly. The policy of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, or DADT, has allowed homosexuals to serve, but in secrecy. Many people believe this is the “fair” thing to do. However people such as, pop icon, Lady Gaga say “fundamentally it’s against all that we stand for as Americans.” (Gaga). Gaga said this on September 19, 2011 during a gay pride rally. Rallies like this show that this has been a major topic that has been discussed recently. Under the signature of President Obama and influence of people such as Lady Gaga, DADT has actually been repealed and no longer considered legitimate.…
President Obama, who certified the repeal stated, "Our military will no longer be deprived of the talents and skills of patriotic Americans just because they happen to be gay or lesbian.” The U.S. military spent months preparing for the repeal, updating regulations and training to reflect the changes, and the…
A.There are an estimated 63,000 gay and lesbian soldiers currently serving in the armed forces according to a report by the 2004 Urban Institute.…
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.…
Allowing TSM to serve openly will impact every aspect of military life, from showering to housing, uniforms to identification. There are no current administrative policies to address physical fitness, privacy, records and identification, uniforms, and housing. National Center for Transgender Equality (2015) claims that “only simple administrative changes are needed to permit all qualified individuals to serve openly and honorably” are duplicitous. The DOD will need to modify every single Army and military policy and/or regulation regarding housing, identification, fitness, privacy, job standards, sexual discrimination to name a few, and also including current medical code. The entire military will need extensive training on any changes to current…
Parko, J., Levy, D., Spears, S., (2015) Transgender Military Personnel in the Post-DADT Repeal Era: A Phenomenological Study. Retrieved from afs.sagepub.com…