Sexual Orientation Discrimination in the Military

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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.
Prior to the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy the United States and its citizens were not very tolerant to openly gay, lesbian and bisexual individuals. Prior to World War II gays were not specifically targeted for exclusion from the military, although sodomy was considered a criminal offense as early as the Revolutionary War. However by the beginning of World War II, the military had shifted focus from excluding acts that were considered homosexual to focusing on members that were considered homosexual. In 1942, the military issued its first regulation that contained a paragraph defining the difference between a homosexual and a normal person. In fact, this regulation also described procedures for rejecting gay draftees. (Martinez, Hebl, & Law, 2012). The military based these procedures on medical rationale and psychiatric screening to...

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...veals. NBC News. Retrieved March 16, 2014, from http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/10/13782623-no-negative-impacts-from-repeal-of-dont-ask-dont-tell-study-reveals?lite
Martinez, L. R., Hebl, M. R., & Law, C. L. (2012). How Sexuality Information Impacts Attitudes and Behaviors Toward Gay Service Members. Military Psychology (Taylor & Francis Ltd), 24(5), 461-472. doi:10.1080/08995605.2012.716266
Moradi, B. (2009). Sexual orientation disclosure, concealment, harassment, and military cohesion: perceptions of LGBT military veterans... lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. Military Psychology (Taylor & Francis Ltd), 21(4), 513-533.
Rich, C., Schutten, J., & Rogers, R. A. (2012). “Don't Drop the Soap”: Organizing Sexualities in the Repeal of the US Military's “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” Policy. Communication Monographs, 79(3), 269-291. doi:10.1080/03637751.2012.697633

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