Essay on Dont Ask, Dont Tell - 1447 Words

Imagine being in the heat of war, a place where trust is needed most. Imagine, however, that in the heat of war you cannot trust your fellow soldier because of personal tensions within the unit. It was this problem that the policy known as â€Å"Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell† was designed to avoid, the tension caused between soldiers when homosexuals are serving openly. Without this policy, homosexuals serving openly could create tension that interferes with the military’s effectiveness. While it may not be obvious at first, the policy of â€Å"Don’t Ask Don’t Tell† actually supports the both values of the military and the rights of homosexuals. As a result, â€Å"Don’t Ask Don’t Tell† is needed to protect homosexual service members and is crucial in securing†¦show more content†¦This policy was created to secure the military’s effectiveness but also to protect homosexuals. Without â€Å"Don’t Ask Don’t Tell† homosexuals are subject to more discrimination and abuse. â€Å"Don’t Ask Don’t Tell† protects homosexuals from the most harmful situations. A large number of the military members join at a young age, shortly after graduating from high school. They are often from small towns and conservative backgrounds, and as a result they have less exposure to the homosexual lifestyle (Beattie). This means the majority of incoming soldiers may not be as accepting towards homosexuals, which could result in harassment and abuse. The â€Å"Winchell Case† is a good example of what could happen if an open policy is enacted (Walke). In 1999, Private Barry Winchell was killed by another soldier. An investigation revealed that Winchell’s fellow officers had discovered he was homosexual and had been harassing him for months before the fatal assault. If Winchell’s superiors had followed the current policy, than he would have been removed from the unit and might have escaped unharmed (Walke). Without â€Å"Don’t Ask Don’t Tell† these types of situations could occur very easily. Because many people cannot accept their lifestyle, homosexuals need to be provided with as much protection as possible; especially in small units and tight living conditions experienced in theShow MoreRelatedDont Ask, Dont Tell Essay1130 Words   |  5 PagesDon’t Ask, Don’t Tell The issue of gays in the military has been controversial in the United States for many decades. Over these decades there have been many different proposals as to what approach to take in order to handle the situation of homosexuals in the military. However, in 1992 when Bill Clinton was running for President of the United States, he made a promise to lift the ban on homosexuals in the military if he was elected (Washington Post). Bill Clinton followed through with his promiseRead MoreDont Ask Dont Tell Essay1863 Words   |  8 Pageshomosexual acts were severely different than those who were neutrally discharged. If this were the case then you were then dishonorably discharged (â€Å"Dont Ask, Dont Tell† - Wikipedia). The current policy of Dont Ask, Dont Tell, Dont Harass, Dont Pursue1, derived from the original 1993 Department of Defense Directive 1332.14 coined Dont Ask, Dont Tell, ensures that any American citizen can participate in the Armed Forces. This policy is a step-up from the usual immediate discharge, however, thisRead MoreComparison of The Crucible And Dont Ask, Dont Tell1273 Words   |  6 Pagesin a park in Japan where he had been serving [Sterngold]. After revealing his homosexuality to his peers in the army, he had been left unrecognizably mutilated and beaten to death. In response, in 1993, the Clinton administration initiated â€Å"Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell† [DADT] which meant that military officers could not investigate a soldier’s sexual preference without reason and a soldier should not voluntarily disclose it [McGowan 4]. Historically, the US military had never directly banned gays, only theirRead More Repeal of Dont Ask Dont Tell Essay1076 Words   |  5 Pages The ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy is a major policy of the armed forces of the United States, and allows a number of people to serve their country. This policy restricts the United States armed forces from discove ring gays, lesbians, and bisexuals. The ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy has, in a way, limited homosexuals from completely fulfilling their military duties by forcing them to serve in the military silent about their personal lives. The policy is a violation of equal rights, forces homosexualsRead More Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Policy Essay1749 Words   |  7 Pagescountry is a privilege. The Dont Ask, Dont Tell policy is claiming that even though it may be considered an infringement on human rights and freedom of expression, it protects the rights of the rest of the military and opens a loophole for gay men and women to serve in the armed forces. Other countries have successfully integrated gay men and women into their militaries and compared the treatment of other minority groups in the military. Is the â€Å"Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell† policy really effective orRead MoreDont Ask, Dont Tell1239 Words   |  5 PagesReagan, t he gay ban was more stringently enforced. In the 1990s, amidst vicious opposition to repeal the ban, President Bill Clinton enacted the compromise â€Å"Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Don’t Pursue, Don’t Harass† policy that provides for Sexual orientation [not to] be a bar to service unless manifested by homosexual conduct (qtd. in Don t Ask†). While it is true that the institution of the military is largely based on fraternal bonding that should not be cleaved by social factionalism, the call ofRead MoreThe Process of Adjustment in Communication and the Effect on the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Policy1690 Words   |  7 PagesThe Process of Adjustment in Communication and the Effect on the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Policy Communication is regarded as a continuous process of adjustment. This process can be explained by looking at the recent repeal of the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. This policy restricts the equal rights of homosexuals which has been a topic in heated debate for many years. Over the course of United States history, there have been numerous attempts at equalizing the rights among homosexualsRead MoreMovie Analysis : Soldier s Girl 947 Words   |  4 Pagesresulting trial give rise to wide spread press and a formal review of the â€Å"Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell† policy. This case, and several like it, became one of the many examples of just how ineffective the â€Å"Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell† policy was when it came to the protection of LGBT service men and women. There has been generally accepted historical facts concerning the struggles of gay service men and women during the â€Å"Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell† policy, and debates over its causes and what brought about its end. ItRead MoreWhy Is This A Big Deal?2684 Words   |  11 PagesPresident Obama, during his run for President, promised that if he was elected the military policy of â€Å"don’t ask, don’t tell† would be repealed and that homosexuals would be allowed to serve openly in our US military. As we know, Obama was elected and he followed through with his promise as earlier this year the â€Å"don’t ask, don’t tell† was repealed. The purpose of this essay is to answer the question, why is this a big deal? How will it work? How will it be implemented in the military? OverRead MoreEssay On Transgender Army978 Words   |  4 Pageshuge impact while in service and to ban or get rid of all of them would be an injustice . Openly gay or transgender were barred from serving in the military and those already serving were protected from discrimination and harassment under the Don’t ask, Dont tell bill so determining an accurate number is a tricky thing to do. Because of this, the numbers of actually serving transgender individuals can actually be higher. These numbers alone should be a justification for the impact the transgender community