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Sexual orientation and the military
Sexual orientation and the military
Homosexuality in the us military
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I am writing this research paper on one of the most debatable issues in the history of the United States of America. The issues are whether or not gays should be allowed to serve openly in the military or should they stay in the closet. Society has mixed feelings about this subject. Some people think that by gays serving in the military it causes harm and some people think it does not cause any harm. Some feel that this issue is a big distraction and that it may make other soldiers feel uneasy. Therefore, many people believe that the military should not accept openly homosexuals. Throughout history homosexual behavior has been considered a criminal offense according to civilian and military law. Engaging in homosexual activities had been grounds for discharge from the United States military since the Revolutionary War. When the military added psychiatric screening to its induction process, it added homosexuality as a disqualifying trait. In 1993, new laws and regulations on homosexuality and United States military service came into effect reflecting a compromise in policy. The policy that came into effect on December 21, 1993 was the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy. This official United States policy was enforced on homosexuals who served in the United States military. Under this policy military members were not to be asked about nor discuss their sexuality. If you were gay, you had to keep it to yourself and not tell anyone while serving in the United States Armed Forces. Also, you could not ask people if they were gay.
The big question in the United States military today is are gays in the military causing an issue? As of now, homosexual people are allowed to serve openly in the military. They can tell people that they are gay. H...
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...e military since the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. They still can not donate blood or in some states they can not get married. Even though the military did not make up the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, they have to obey federal laws that are enacted by Congress and Executive Orders directed by the President. The military is allowed to determined who is suitable for serving in the military. Here are a few reasons why the military would not accept someone. If you have a medical condition, the military would not accept you. If your score is low on the military entrance test, the military will not accept you. Also, if you have too many kids, the military will not accept you. I think we should come up with a new policy for the military. A policy that states before you join the military you have to let the armed forces know if you are a Homosexual, Lesbian or Bi-sexual.
In the essay “Why gays shouldn’t serve” by David Horowitz he states that “Don’t ask, Don’t Tell policy is a way of containing the destructive force of sex on a combat capability called Unit Cohesion. (354)” This controversial topic has surfaced more and more recently because Barack Obama wanted to let all people serve in the military, regardless of their sexual orientation. “More than 1,000 retired flag and general officers have joined us in signing an open letter to President Obama and Congress, repeal of this law would prompt many dedicated people to leave the military (James J. Lindsay).” There are multiple points you could focus on when trying to explain your point on why gays or lesbians should not serve in the military. The first point we will be focusing on is: how would military life change if straight men or women knew that there were gays or lesbians sleeping next to them? The second point is: would straight men and women communicate with the gays or lesbians the same way as they would toward other straight men or women? The third and final point is: how would other countries view our military if they knew we had gays or lesbians in the military?
McGowan, Jeffrey. Major Conflict: One Gay Man’s Life in the Don’t-ask-don’t-tell Military. New York: Broadway, 2005. Print.
In 1950, President Harry S. Truman implemented discharge policies for homosexual service members in the Uniform Code of Military Justice. This would allow military leaders to discharge any service member who was thought to be homosexual. In 1992, during President Bill Clinton’s campaign, he promises to lift that ban. Not being able to do just that, President Clinton issued a directive referred to as ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’. This stated that no service member should be asked about their sexual orientation. Mackubin Thomas Owens wrote the article “Gay Men and Women in the Military Disrupt Unit Cohesion” in 2009 right after President Clinton was again calling for the end of forcing homosexuals to live in secret. In his article he states that homosexuals living openly in the military will take away from military effectiveness and put the other service member’s lives in danger. Throughout most of the article he uses other resources, polls and opinions on the matter verses clearly stating his own. Most of the resources he uses are military connected or
Homosexuality in the military had been frowned upon back dating since the late 1770’s. Due to fear of reprimand, men and women were able to join the military but did not discuss their sexuality. It was believed that homosexuality was criminalized in U. S. military law. Prior to World War II, there was no written policy barring homosexuals from serving, although sodomy was considered a crime by military law ever since Revolutionary War times (Powers, 2012).
The “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy means that service men and women are not questioned about their sexual orientation, and they are not to talk about their sexual orientation. In 1993 U. S. Congress passed a federal law forbidding the military service of openly gay men and women serving in the military. Even though Congrees created the law, it was up to the military leadership to carry it out. Opposing viewpoints states:
Throughout history openly practicing homosexuals have not been accepted in the United States Armed Forces. During the American Revolution and the Civil War, while no military code actually addressed homosexuals, anyone found committing homosexual acts was dishonorably discharged (Walke). With the turn of the century, the U.S. military actively began prohibiting and prosecuting homosexual acts (Walke). Throughout the 20th century, individuals seeking to serve in the military were prohibited from serving if they had a history of homosexual activity. With his election in 1994, President Bill Clinton sought to change this prohibition. However, once in office he met opposition from military leadership. As a result, a compromise between the Clinton administration, military officials and conservatives brought about the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy.
In September 2011, the United States lifted the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy (DADT), which restricted gay, lesbian, and bisexuals from openly serving in the military. This was the first time in American history in which people of every sexual orientation could serve openly (“11 Facts About,” n.d.). This was a momentous occasion for some and not so much for others. For those military members that had served in secret and those members that were firmly against gays and lesbians, this repeal had different meaning. Both groups contained members that have served in the military for years and were products of the Former President Bill Clinton’s 1993 “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. For many soldiers of this era, communication issues arose due to a pre-existing mentality, learned rules and regulations in services reinforced for two decades and the general cultural within combat related fields.
Sexual Assault in the military has become an uprising problem. Within the military community, the term sexual assault carries a meaning that includes everything from violent sexual acts such as rape and forcible sodomy, to assault with intent to commit rape, unwanted sexual touching or attention and being a witness of the crime and not reporting it. Although most believe those who commit such heinous crimes are usually a person or persons with a violent record, violence is not a prerequisite for sexual assault. Once a service member becomes a victim of sexual assault, they become much more than a victim of just the crime itself. They fall victim to their own thoughts, never being able to trust their chain of command again, jeopardizing careers
Social causes such as Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and same-sex marriage laws contribute to homosexuals choosing to hide their real self. In the military, many homosexual soldiers are being punished for not liking the opposite sex. In Burks article, “Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Victimization in the Military” he describes the struggles service members face. Burk explains that if a homosexual does not hide his sexual orientation than he or she will be discharged from the military. Between 1980 and 2009 over 32,000 service members were discharged due to their sexual-orientation. Also, sexual assault and sexual harassment is very common among service members...
Homosexuality, for decades, was not accepted in the military, generally. However, during wartime periods, restrictions on gays seemed to be lightened. Then, during maritime, there would be strict enforcement on homosexuals. During maritime, homosexuals were constantly being filtered out and discharged by the military. In World War I, homosexuals that engaged in homosexual actions were disciplined and then discharged from the military. There wasn’t a specific policy against being a homosexual, but there were policies stating that homosexual actions were not allowed.
Despoil in the military occurs more often than many civilians believe. It is very important
The purpose of this essay is to discuss the issue of rape and sexual assault in the military. The number of attacks for rape and sexual assault in the military are at an all-time high. Women have recently been allowed to fight on the front line. While this may be a huge achievement for women-kind, for this woman, it is a very scary thought. I am a junior at Texas Academy of Biomedical Sciences; a school geared towards students wishing to enter the medical field. I may be forced to join the military one day if a war breaks out and women are needed to protect the country. I would be happy to serve my country if I did not have to be scared of my fellow soldiers. Rape and sexual assault are major issues in the military and have been for many years without much effort to decrease the attacks. I am suggesting that unless the rape and sexual assault issue is fixed, the amount of people joining the military, specifically the women, will decrease greatly.
Between the 1950s and 1960s homosexuals had been frequently harassed and ridiculed by many people, including the police (Ojeda, 12). Homosexuals began to fight back after the civil rights and anti-war movements by asking those who were stil...
Why do people have cognitive sexual orientations and how can this affect the mind. What are the reasons for sexual orientation? And is it normal? Many people make decisions regarding sexual orientation based on their mental patterns of emotional, romantic, and sexual attraction. The most common forms of human sexuality would include heterosexuality, homosexuality, and bisexuality. Furthermore, a lot of research has been focused on the reasons behind these different types of sexuality with the consideration and fascination with the opposite and with the same sex. Since bi-sexuality is lightly considered a variant of homosexuality in popular culture. Several research studies have found there are natural' reasons behind sexual
Our world is constantly changing and people are constantly facing many new experiences. Throughout society, there are many different people and different opinions to match. One matter that has a lot of different opinions is the matter of homosexuality. Depending on what a person believes or how accepting they are, will reflect on their opinion on this topic. With the world constantly, we have very old styles of thinking versus more modern opinions. This essay will show the ways that homosexuals are sometimes looked down upon in society (with older views) and the way that the world is changing.