LGBT Protecting Your Freedom

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Recommended: homosexuality in the military

After winning his election in 1992 President Clinton proposed that he would create a way to allow homosexuals to actively serve in the military. After his inauguration in 1993 the president signed a piece of legislation concerning homosexuality in the armed forces. This policy was referred to as “Don’t ask, Don’t Tell”, the legislation stated that to demonstrate or engage in any homosexual activity would be against all good morals and discipline in the military. The policy created said that,
A Service member may also be separated if he or she states that he or she is a homosexual or bisexual, or words to that effect. Such a statement creates a rebuttable presumption that the member engages in homosexual acts or has a propensity or intent to do so. The Service member will have the opportunity to rebut that presumption, however, by demonstrating that he or she does not engage in homosexual acts and does not have a propensity or intent to do so. (Feder 3)

Under DADT members of armed forces could be discharged for the following reasons, “1) The member engaged in, attempted to engage in, or solicited another to engage in a homosexual act or acts; 2) the member stated that he or she was a “homosexual” or “Bisexual”; or 3) the member married or attempted to marry someone of the same sex. (Feder 3) To sum it up, you could be gay and serve in the military but you could not be open about your sexuality.
At a 2007 Democratic Presidential Primary Debate, alongside Barack Obama, other politicians such as Hilary Clinton and former senator John Edwards said they would eliminate the Don’t Ask Don’t tell policy if they were to be elected as president. In May of 2010 Senate and House Committee approved an amendment that would put an end to t...

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...e. N.p., n.d. Web. 26
Feb. 2014.

"Don’t Ask Don’t Tell: New Study Reveals Number Of Soldiers Who Quit Over DADT | The New Civil
Rights Movement." The New Civil Rights Movement RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2014.

One Year Out: An Assessment of DADT Repeal’s Impact on Military Readiness. 2012. [e-book] p. 4,5. http://www.palmcenter.org/files/One%20Year%20Out_0.pdf [Accessed: 25 Mar 2014].
Shapiro, Lila. "Don't Ask Don't Tell Study Shows No Negative Effects On Military One Year After Repeal."
The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 10 Sept. 2012. Web. 25 Mar. 2014.

Parrish, Karen. "United States Department of Defense." Defense.gov News Article: Same-sex Couples Can
Claim New Benefits by October. N.p., 11 Feb. 2013. Web. 12 Apr. 2014.
Cannistra, Mary Kate, Kat Downs, and Cristina Rivero. Washington Post. The Washington Post, n.d. Web.
11 Apr. 2014.

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