9/15: DADT!

This week we discussed the history of the US military’s policy known as Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT), and the upcoming repeal of said policy. Before going into what was said at the meeting, here’s a quick rundown of important dates in the history of DADT.

1778- the first soldier of the US military (Lt. Gotthold Frederick Enslin) is dishonorably discharged for sodomy
1942- “homosexuals” are differentiated from “normal people” in military training and recruiting manuals; by this time, psychiatric screening is commonplace during the recruiting process. Homosexuality is considered a symptom of psychopathy, and thus gay people are denied entrance into the military
1986- homosexuality removed as a mental illness from the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual), raising more questions among gay rights activists about the exclusion of gay people from the military
1992- US presidential election in which then-presidential candidate Bill Clinton promises to overturn the ban
1993- rather than overturning the ban, Clinton compromises with members of Congress to create Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
2008- then-presidential candidate Barack Obama promises to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
December 22, 2010- Congress passes bill allowing for repeal, provided the Pentagon does a study on the affects of such an action and the President, Secretary of Defense and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff approve the study
July 22, 2011- President Obama, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, and Admiral Michael Mullen (Chairman of the Joint Chiefs) approve a study provided by the Pentagon which says the repeal would have no long-lasting negligable effects on the US military
September 20, 2011- DADT is officially repealed

DADT is offically known as Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Don’t Pursue, Don’t Harass. In essence, the military no longer asks in interviews if a person is gay, and those service members who are gay are obligated to remain in the closet. They will not be outed unless a fellow service member has “credible information”, and the military will not tolerate any harassment. The policy has worked over the past seventeen years with varying levels of success; in fact, Don’t Harass wasn’t added until 1999, after the death of PFC Barry Winchell, who was dating a trans woman at the time of his brutal murder by a member of his unit.

While the repeal of DADT is clearly a celebration for the gay, lesbian and bisexual community, it also raises several questions about how the military will deal with several issues. One argument against the repeal deals with unit cohesion; opponents argue that a unit cannot bond together if there is fear that the person in the bunk next to them is thinking about them sexually. The safety of out service members is also a question that was raised in the meetings. One possible solution was to separate units between accepting and non-accepting members, to create as little friction as possible, but several questions about unit cohesion arose from this as well. Either way it will be interesting to see how the military handles the transition after this week.

Do you have any comments? Questions? How do you think the military should handle this transition? Comment below or email us at gsa.wra@gmail.com with your thoughts!

REMINDERS
- The deadline for leadership opportunities within GSA has been EXTENDED to MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, at 3:15 PM, with your application turned into either of the co-presidents’ open mailboxes in Seymour or emailed to gsa.wra@gmail.com. If you are interested in applying but have not yet received an application from us, PLEASE EMAIL AI MILLER ASAP at millerm@wra.net.
- This might be a little redundant, but make sure you’re checking the Facebook page and the blog as frequently as possible to receive updates about upcoming meetings and recaps about meetings you may have missed!