Don T Ask Dont Tell Research Paper

In 2010, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Michael Mullen said, “I cannot escape being troubled in the fact that we have in place a policy that forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens. For me, personally, it comes down to integrity. Theirs as individuals and ours as an institution.” Admiral Mullen was speaking about our nations past policy on LGBT military service, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”. President Bill Clinton coined this term when he signed the policy into law in 1993, telling service members “don’t ask, don’t tell, don’t pursue, and don’t harass.” This went into effect on October 1st, 1993. The “don’t ask” aspect of the policy was aimed to prevent harassment. The “don’t tell” aspect was designed so that if an individual were openly gay, they would be discharged from the military.

UCLA conducted a study in which they found that with the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” there was no negative impact on readiness, cohesion, recruitment/retention, assaults/harassment, and morale.

For 17 years, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was keeping qualified individuals away from the military for no reason. It also impacted the lives and morale of hardworking men and women who were serving their country. Navy Lieutenant Gary Ross once said, the law required “you to lie several times a day. Being in the military is extremely invasive. It becomes a web of excuses you make when you try to be as honest as possible but you can't be honest." Ross married his partner sixty seconds after he would no longer lose his

career.
In most of Africa and Asia, LGB serving in the military is banned or illegal, exceptions include South Africa and the Philippines. Australia, North America, and Europe almost entirely allow gays to serve in the military. It is a shame it took the United States until 2011 to repeal such a backwards policy.
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was repealed in September 20, 2011 under President Obama’s office. Reactions, including Lieutenant Gary Ross’ were heartwarming. Many service members who had been hiding their sexuality their entire careers were able to finally come out to their families and coworkers. Today, sexual orientation is not grounds for dismissal, however transgender individuals are still prohibited from service.
In my personal opinion, it is a relief that “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was repealed. It was a discriminatory, embarrassing policy that kept our military from being as great as possible. The policy sent a message that discrimination was okay, fueling our nation’s homophobia. The motive behind “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” all boils down to stereotypes and homophobia. People think that gays will disrupt order based off stereotypical impressions, including sex obsession. Also, people’s homophobia kept “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” from be repealed earlier because they simply didn’t want to work or live with LGB individuals. Hearing Sarah’s experience in the military says a lot about the environment and the absurdity of the policies. Sarah, a transgender woman, left the military right before receiving full benefits because she couldn’t handle not being herself.