Repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Jene Newsome spent nine years in the Air Force as an aircraft armament system craftsman. Her service in the military was cut short when two police officers in Rapid City, South Dakota showed up to her home and witnessed her marriage license. The license did not contain the name of man next to Jenes, but rather another woman’s name. They reported her sexual orientation to that of a nearby military base. Action was then taken to discharge Mrs. Newsome from the Air force. During her service in the military she abided by this policy, she went married her current spouse in Iowa—where gay marriage is legal (Ross). In South Texas, former military Sergeant Lacye Presley and her girlfriend Sergeant Holly Tomson were both honorably discharged from the military. In 2006 Presley, during her time in the service, was honored with a bronze star when she helped in a car bombing in Iraq. Tomson, worked with bomb sniffing dogs, was a Non-Commissioned Officer for a year. She had planned on making the military as her career choice because it was something she was passionate about; the military did not fulfill her dream (CBS). These women were discharged not because they conducted some kind of ill act, but solely because of their sexuality. For that reason, the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (D.A.D.T.) policy should be altered.

The 20th century policy of D.A.D.T. stems back to the early 1980s. In 1982 The Department of Defense (D.O.D.) began the new policy, “(DOD Directive 1332.14, January 28, 1982, Part 1, Section H)”. This policy simply said that homosexuals were not allowed in the military, period. There were many misconstrued numbers at the time; the amounts of discharges were not adding up to the overall productivity of military personal. Nearing the end...

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...Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

Works Cited

Bedey Col., Dave. E-mail Interview. 2 Feb. 2010.

Interviewed by The Washington Post. Don't ask, don't tell: Against repeal of policy. The Washington Post, D.C., 1 Aug. 2010. Web.

CBS News, prod. Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Hits Home. CBS. CBS, 28 Mar. 2010.Web. 31 Jul. 2010. < http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6341205n>

Hall, David. Service Members Legal Defense Network. Advisory Committees. 29 Jul. 2010. Web. 2 Aug. 2010.

Herek Ph.D, Gregory M. “Lesbians and Gay Men in the U.S. Military: Historical Background.” Sexual Orientation: Science, Education, and Policy. University of California at Davis. Dr. Gregory Herek. 22 May 2008. Web. 31 Jul. 2010

Ross, Timberly. “Jene Newsome Discharged: Rapid City Police Told Air Force That Sergeant was Lesbian.” The Huffington Post. The Huffington Post, 13 Mar. 2010. Web. 31 Jul. 2010.