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.

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