...discussed openly, and essentially prohibited with the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy established in the 1990’s. However, attitudes have changed and evolved over the years making homosexuality in general less of a stigma and more of an acceptable lifestyle that some people live. After much deliberation and research, the Department of Defense (DOD) has established its own set of rules and regulations, thus continuing the controversy and discrimination of homosexuality within its ranks and the redefining of its regulations. Beginning in 1916, the United States military began issuing an administrative discharge called a blue discharge. This discharge, also known as a “blue ticket,” was neither honorable nor dishonorable, but it “became the discharge of choice for commanders seeking to remove homosexual service members from the ranks…” (Serving, para. 1). The policy for discharging service members found to be homosexual or engaging in homosexual acts prior to these “blue tickets” was to court-martial them for sodomy, imprison them and subsequently dishonorably discharge them. When the United States began to mobilize troops in World War II, though, it was no longer practical to hold court-martials due to time constraints and troop movements, so commanders began administratively discharging service members in their place. “Several waves of reform addressing the issue of homosexuals in the military resulted, in 1944, in a policy directive that homosexuals were to be committed to military...
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...Title : “Don’t Ask…Don’t Tell…Don’t Be All You Can Be!” I) Introduction: a) Don’t ask don’t tell or commonly known as DADT is a law that passed in congress in 1993 that requires the discharge of openly gay, lesbian and bisexual active members of the US Armed Forces. Under this law the Military will discharge any member, who engage in homosexual conduct, which is defined as a homosexual act, a statement that the member is homosexual or bisexual, or a marriage or attempted marriage to someone of the same gender. b) THESIS – The law passed by congress “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” should be placed as an inactive piece of legislature spoils the American spirit, does not leave much room for the younger generations of today to put faith in our government and costs tax payers extra money that they do not have due to the crashing economy. II) I plan to construct an argument that DADT should be placed as inactive piece of legislature by using the argument by narration. I plan to tell the stories of a few service members that have been discharged from the military because of this law. III) There are a few opposing arguments from those in congress that support it that I plan on analyzing and trying to show the weakness in their arguments as to why DADT should remain active. IV) The audience should care about this topic because having the DADT law as an active piece of legislature costs us money not to mention the lives of able bodied people who are willing to...
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... | |“DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL AND ITS CONSTITUTIONALITY” | |FINAL DRAFT | | | | | |ASHLEY L. THOMAS | |WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23 , 2011 | [pic] |ATTORNEY JOHN WASHINGTON | |BUL 5323 – BUSINESS LAW | Introduction Ever since its declaration in 1993 under President Bill Clinton’s administration, don’t ask, don’t tell (DADT) has been a major dispute amongst the United States citizens; especially those involved in the...
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...Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Policy DeVry University Online During a time of need and desperation, when another person jumped to your aid and helped you out, did you stop to think about what their sexual preference was and if so would it have mattered to you? Well if you are in one of the United States Military branches, it is almost guaranteed to have come up and it has caused enough of an issue, commotion and publicity that the President of the United States had to step in and put into place a policy for what is the beginning of a giant human rights and equality motion in history. Even in this new century, who you choose to have sex with or love, still appears to be an issue for many people. Some even know that this person may one day save your life and have your back and it’s still an issue for some. The struggles of discrimination and inequality were all too frequent in the lives of homosexuals who were serving or trying to serve in the United States Military started to catch attention with the media and caught the attention by many who had voices to make a difference for equality. During the civil rights movement in the 1960’s, homosexuality wasn’t a right that was openly fought for. Albeit that today, most people view the right to love whom they choose as a civil, and human right. Many people believe that a relationship should be between a man and a woman and therefore the rights of the homosexual community were not fought over in any of the early civil rights movements...
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...“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” has been a policy enforced in the United States Armed Forces, however the attitudes of this policy in some aspects has transferred to the business sector. Some American citizens believe the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy is effective, yet others find it problematic. The policy has affected not only homosexuals wanting to serve our country, but also those attempting to find employment. Homosexuals serving in the military have been a long debated topic throughout U.S. history. As early as Revolutionary War times, the military did not exclude homosexuals from serving our country. However, they did consider sodomy a criminal offense. According to the “Article 125 of Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) prohibits all service members from engaging in sodomy. Service members found violating this article can be court-martialed and imprisoned if found guility.” (Alexander) Sodomy is defined as, “anal or oral copulation with a member of the same or opposite sex” (Sodomy). In 1778 the first solider, Lieutenant Gotthold Frederick Enslin, was discharged from the Continental Army for sodomy. The military’s main focus was on homosexual behavior, but eventually shifted to eliminate homosexual personnel all together. During this time, psychiatric evaluations were administered to prevent homosexuals from entering the military due to an alleged “medical” reason. In 1916, the Articles of War clearly forbid homosexuals from serving in the U.S. military. ...
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...many of the 2010 Congressmen and Senators could have learned a lot from this Organizational Behavior class. I believe that their lack of managing diversity training is the root cause of some major turmoil both in and out of the military, and will continue to be for many years to come. In this analysis I would like to focus on some issues with the legislations repeal act of president Bill Clinton and his 1993 legislation’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy and discuss how the 2010 legislation could have managed diversity with less complications. The following analysis is not meant to voice the military nor my personal opinion of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy nor its repeal. This analysis will focus purely on how the 2010 legislation could have managed diversity with less complications (Kreitner & Kinicki, 2010, p. 35) in regards to: the repeal act of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy (Wikipedia, 2012), the Defense of Marriage Act (Beutler, 2011), and the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) Article 125: Sodomy (SLDN, 2012), and how these policies are currently not working well together (Beutler, 2011). Diversity represents the multitude of individual differences and similarities that exist among people. Diversity is not an issue of age, race, or gender. Diversity is not an issue of being heterosexual, gay, or lesbian or of being Catholic, Jewish, Protestant, Muslim, or Buddhist. Diversity also does not pit white males against all other groups of people. Diversity...
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...Don’t Ask Don’t Tell: Repeal or Not Repeal Up to now, the White House has focused on an aggressive effort to socialize our economy through the bailout of the auto industry, institution of the cap-and-trade system, various stimulus and bailout programs, and a takeover of the healthcare sector. (Bedey) Although these topics are still relevant, recently the motion to repeal “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” has become one of the most talked about subjects. Before we get into debate, one must know the basic principles of the policy and its history of origin. “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Don’t Pursue, Don’t Harass” (DADTDPDH or DADT for short) is a ban on lesbians, gays and bisexuals serving in the military. DADT is the only law in the United States that authorizes the firing of an American for being gay. There is no other federal, state, or local law like it. DADT is the only law that punishes lesbians, gays and bisexuals for coming out. Many Americans view DADT as a simple agreement with discretion as the key to job security. While this is true to some extent, in the eyes of a homosexual service member, it may not be so simple. An honest statement of one’s sexual orientation to anyone, anywhere, at anytime will lead to being fired. (Service Members Legal Defense Network) DADT was the result of a failed effort by President Clinton to end the ban on gays in the military. The bill was a result of the brutal 1992 murder of Seaman Allen Shindler. Bill Clinton, a candidate at the time, proposed...
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...individuals to serve in the military has been a breeding ground for debate. This issue has caused conflict between those who stand on opposite sides of the issue. As with any conflict, this issue has since been somewhat resolved and the steps of peacemaking have begun with the ending of the “don’t ask don’t tell” policy. The “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy was passed in 1993. It allowed gays to actively serve in the military as long as they did not disclose their sexual orientation. To no surprise there was much conflict involved with this policy. Those opposing this policy found it to be discriminatory and unfair. Supporter of the policy believed that straight soldiers may be unable to perform their duties due to feeling uncomfortable in the presence of a homosexual. Understanding both sides in a reasonable and mature manner will help to calm down some of the emotional drama surrounding the issue. Conflict resolution is vital and is relevant in order to peacefully bring both sides together. Conflict Resolution Steps have been taken in order to end the “don’t ask don’t tell” policy. The Senate voted on the annual Defense Department Authorization which concluded with the abolishment of the former policy (O’Keefe, 2010). Change is a key ingredient for conflict....
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...Abstract The purpose of this research is to clarify the origin points of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, its effects, repeal, and the effects of the repeal. It also explains the monetary statistics, amount of discharges since its commencement and emotional toll it has taken on service members. Though the scope of the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy is great, attempts are made to explain the specifics from commencement, to repeal. The Injustice of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Homo. Faggot. Queer. Dyke. These are some slurs many homosexuals have been subjected to. In the land of equality and freedom, everyone deserves equal treatment. Ironically, those who serve their country are a victim of the most unjust and unequal treatment; most notably the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Policy, (DADT) which was passed to subjugate gay service members. This policy has a long and unclear history but one thing is clear: it has robbed proud homosexual service members of their honor. Its origin, effects, repeal, and the effects of its repeal have illustrated this truth. In March 1778 in Valley Forge, PA the first homosexual case in the military came when a male officer in the Army was dishonorably discharged for having sex with a fellow soldier. This was a violation of the Articles of War, a “precursor to the Uniform Code of Military Justice”. During World War II, proactive investigations proceeded to seek out homosexuals in the military; not too long after in 1957, Navy Captain and chairman of the United...
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...Don't Ask Don't Tell I joined the United States Air Force May of 2003 and service to June 2007. I worked in the hospital as a Health Service Management which mostly handles the administration work of the hospital. Doing my time in the military there was a law in the military call the “The Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”. This law was passed in 1993 that mandated the military to discharge service man or woman that was openly homosexual or bisexual. I knew of fellow military personals who were homosexual but they were never openly telling a number of people. I knew they were homosexual just because I knew some of their close friends, who I was also close with. When gossiping with these friends they would inform me of different individuals who were homosexual. I also knew of several servicemember who was homosexual and would be open about their sexuality to get out of the military. They would do this because the knew they would be discharge from the military, so that would be an easy way out since they no long wanted to be in. Now let take a look at the history of the law, the changes that will take place, and my opinion on the issues. 1. Now let take a brief look at the past history of homosexual in the military. The Department of Defense from a policy that stated homosexual could not be in military. “According to a 1992 report by the Government Accounting Office (GAO), nearly 17,000 men and women were discharged under the category of homosexuality in the 1980s” (Herek1997-...
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...the policy Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell that still hindered the homosexual’s chance of getting into the military. Finally, now after years of discrimination, a Representative of the House wrote a bill that will allow homosexuals the right to join and fight in the armed forces. The H.R. 1283 Military Readiness Enhancement Act of 2009 states homosexuals can join the military and should pass for the benefit of all those who serve the armed forces. Official discrimination against homosexuals began during World War II. Before World War II, it was only African Americans who had a hard time joining the military, but then the military started becoming stricter on who can join and who cannot. The military started making people take a psychological test, where anyone who wanted to join the military had to get tested by a psychiatrist (Katel). If people claimed they were gay, they could not join the armed forces. Discrimination continued in every war America has fought until Bill Clinton came along. When Clinton ran for president, he guaranteed to lift the ban that the military established on not allowing homosexuals the right to fight. To get around his campaign promise without trying to upset either side, Clinton created the policy Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell that does not really help anyone involved. Homosexuals were still unfortunately getting harassed, and kicked out of the military because of their sexual orientation. Anna Persky wrote in the American Bar Association Journal that the Don’t Ask...
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...Gary Gates of UCLA's Williams Institute, who has studied the matter extensively, estimates that approximately 3.5% of Americans identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual. Now imagine exactly how many of those individuals are currently serving in the military. In 1916 the Articles of War made homosexual conduct a military crime. Thus, the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy. "Don't ask, don't tell" was the official United States policy on military service by gays, bisexuals, and lesbians, instituted by the Clinton Administration. Homosexuals were not allowed to speak about their sexuality in service and higher ups were forbidden to ask. “While senior military leaders say the change has had no impact on readiness and little to no effect on most of the 1.2 million members on active duty, gay troops describe the repeal’s effect on them as life-changing.”, said one reporter 9 months after the repeal. The subject happens to be a huge milestone for the LGBT community in terms of equality. Once the Articles of War made homosexual conduct a military crime with the “don't ask don't tell” policy it negatively impacted lgbt individuals in and out of the armed forces by...
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...trans-gender personnel who are trying to serve their country. In order for us to go forward with my statement I need you all to be opened minded. We all have an opinion but in the end it’s up to us to make the change for our future. The Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT) era was a time when homosexuals where not allowed to be who they where without getting in trouble. The term was coined after President Bill Clinton in 1993 signed a law (consisting of statue, regulations, and policy memoranda) directing that military personal could not openly be a homosexual in the military (Britannica, 2015). In order for Clinton to win his seat in the white House he needed his sponsors to support him and having openly gays in the military was not something they wanted. Even though Clinton was for it he had to satisfy his supporters. After many discussions and fights back and forth Clinton finally came to an agreement that homosexuals could join the military but not be opened about it. Many officers were overwhelmingly opposed to that approach, fearing that the mere presence of homosexuals in the armed forces would undermine morale (Dunham, 2011). After many years of people getting discharged for openly being gay the Obama Administration finally decided to reevaluate the policy and began a study. After much studying into the behavior and the outcome people would have about having homosexuals working openly, many of the studies showed some negativity but overall was over...
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..... and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all” (Bellamy). The pledge of Allegiance is what almost every student in the nation recites or had recited every morning from the day they start school till the day they graduate, but why is it that we don’t truly mean what we say? The adults now that have formed rules such as “Don’t ask don’t tell” and that gays should not be allowed to serve in the military once said the pledge, and should definitely know what it stands for, so why do these rules not give us equality and justice for all? I believe that liberty is an intrinsic part of the individual; members of society can ensure liberty through government protection from the moment they are born or become a citizen of a country and obtain the individual guaranteed rights. Liberty has been defined as the condition of a society in which individuals can be free ‘politically’ and free to develop as individuals. For stable individual liberty to be maintained, the people must have oversight and control of the...
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...since the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy started almost two decades ago. A majority of democrats wanted to allow gays to serve openly in the armed forces, and the republicans completely opposed; they wanted to keep this policy, solely to ban gays from serving openly in the military. The policy completely prohibited homosexuals from serving in the military; if it was any suspicion of a person being homosexual, regardless if they were or not engaging in homosexual conduct, they were put under investigation; if it was determine that the person in fact was homosexual, they were immediately discharged. This was not only unfair, but discriminatory and at the same time unconstitutional. It is hard to understand how they got away with this for so long; this simply did not make any sense. For some Congress’ members and military officials the fear was that by allowing gays to serve openly in the military could cause more casualties and would endangered the troops.. In an interview with newspapers and wire service reporters at the Pentagon, Gen. James F. Amos, the commandant of the Marine Corps at the time said: "you don't want anything distracting. . . . Mistakes and inattention or distractions cost Marines' lives." Amos was vague when pressed to clarify how the presence of gays would distract Marines during a firefight. But he cited a recent Defense Department survey, in which a large percentage of Marine combat veterans predicted that repealing the "don't ask, don't tell" law would...
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