Don't Ask, Don't Tell

         Following executive order 8802 in 1941, the military was desegregated based on race, and though many issues such as the disparity in death rates between white and black soldiers remained prevalent, major steps were taken towards the equality of the US armed forces. Similarly, in 1993, Clinton signed the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) act, which technically lifted a ban on homosexual participation in the military, so long as they never made their orientation public. This policy, however, came with several key compromises from opponents to the policy which ultimately led to its repeal in 2011.
         Prior to his inauguration as president, Clinton announced, alongside other goals, that he wished to end the military’s ban on homosexual soldiers. Though this was supported by many activists that voted for him, very few believed that the policy could truly be achieved. Many senators and officials disagreed with the stance including military organizers and leaders. These individuals believed that the presence of homosexuals would undermine military morale and weaken its strength. Thus, Clinton had to settle for a compromise, leading to the DADT proposal, which would allow homosexuals into the armed forces so long as they did not disclose the information.
         However, as a result of settling for a compromising deal, Clinton also received backlash from many activists on the issue, who claimed that it forced them into secrecy was did little improvement. Furthermore, since the military still banned soldiers it believed were homosexual, the policy of not asking for gender was not well enforced, leading to numerous discharges during the Iraq War based on orientation. In many cases, investigations and skying was still occurring at gay bars, letters between close relatives, and other forms of private communication. As some soldiers said, both the policies were still “outright bans” on homosexuals, and also encouraged a social atmosphere of treating “gays as second class citizens” in America. By 2008, 15 years after the law was passed, 12,000 officers were discharged due to their sexual orientation.
         Fortunately, however, as time passed, homosexuals became more welcomed in public, which can be seen by the fact that in 2010, opposition to homosexual service stood at 27%, while the number was at 45% in 1994. This shift in attitude also eventually led to Obama’s repeal of the bill in 2011. This led to further actions in the government, such as the Pentagon’s ban lift on women’s service as well as including sexual orientation in the Military Equal Opportunity policy.




https://www.britannica.com/event/Dont-Ask-Dont-Tell
https://time.com/5339634/dont-ask-dont-tell-25-year-anniversary/
https://www.history.com/news/dont-ask-dont-tell-repeal-compromise