POLITICAL SCIENCE

Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Introduction

The United States' military has traditionally recruited individuals of straight sexual orientation. With an ever-increasing population of homosexuals in the United States, there was increased pressure on the government to provide them with equal rights in mainstream America. The United States saw massive movements in favor of providing homosexuals with their rights. Along the similar lines has been the debate over allowing gays and lesbians in the military. This sparked widespread discussions throughout the country, with the concerned individuals demanding their voices to be heard.

Government's Stance

From December 1993 to September 2011, the United States official policy on the issue was “Don't ask, don't tell” or DADT. This policy prevented serving military personnel from questioning the sexual orientation of their colleagues. This prevention was mandatory under the United States federal law. The law also prevented homosexual officers in the military from disclosing their orientation as t undermines the essence of an army. By the federal law, gays and lesbians were not allowed to initiate a relationship with their fellow officers and refrain from homosexual behavior. Failure to do so was punishable by termination of service. Similarly, commanding officers could not initiate an investigation into a junior officer's sexual orientation. In 1778, Gotthold Frederick Enslin became the first US officer who was terminated from the army, which was then the Continental Army. Even with the law in place, there have been incidents in which homosexual officers became targets of harassment. This prompted the government to redefine the policy.

The United States government has long been divided over the issue of homosexuals in the army. During the Second World War, the United States government introduced a psychiatric process to the recruitment process of the army. This was a move to discriminate between straight and homosexual individuals. The US army terminated serving homosexuals by court-martialing and dishonoring them. In 1944, an ordinance was approved by the government that stated all homosexuals would be terminated and hospitalized along psychiatric treatment. Gays and lesbians in the army became a “security risk” for the United States. Even with the preconceived notion of homosexuals being a risk, the US government allowed gays and lesbians to serve the army during the Viet Nam war due to a shortage of recruits.

The 20th century brought the higher level of awareness among the gays and lesbians of the country. Movements such as Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transgender Rights became popular and more open. A study conducted by the US Navy in 1957 repeal the impression that homosexuals pose a threat to security by serving in the army. Activists and movements became stronger and frequently. The National Guard and Army Reservist used the issue of homosexuality to avoid deployment into combat missions. In 1999, FORSCOM regulation was passed to make sure such behavior did not occur. The regulation made sure troops did not pretend to be gay and stay away from battles (hdl.loc.gov).

Bureaucracy of DADT

The “don't ask don't tell” policy was first presented during the presidency of ...