15: Don't Ask Don't Tell

 

15 years ago today (September 20, 2011) the US Military officially ended its “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” Policy making it legal for Homosexuals to openly serve in the US Military.

“Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” was created in 1993.

Before “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” Homosexuals were not allowed to openly serve in the US Military and it was even a Crime across the United States to be Gay or Lesbian.

From 1776 until 1921 there were no official Laws within the US Military making it illegal for Homosexuals to serve, but any Homosexual who was found serving was immediately Discharged.

The First Known Homosexual Discharged from the US Military was Lieutenant Frederick Gotthold Enslin, a German fighting with George Washington at Valley Forge, who was “drummed out” of the Continental Army on March 11, 1778 following his Conviction at his Court-Martial of Sodomy.

On February 4, 1921 the US Military the US Articles of War of the United States  of 1916 was amended to include Article 93 that made Sodomy or the Attempt to Commit Sodomy illegal.

It was the first time Homosexuality was made officially illegal in the US Military.

From 1921-1947 all the Branches of the US Military had their own, independent polices of what to do with a Homosexual serving within the Armed Forces.

For the most part when a Soldier, Sailor or Airman/woman was suspected or found to be Homosexual they could either deny the charge and be Court-Martialed (and 99.9% found to be guilty of Sodomy) or say they were Homosexual.

They then received a “Blue Discharge” which was a Discharge Without Honor, Neither Honorable Nor Dishonorable.

People discharged with a “Blue Discharge” were not eligible for the GI Bill Benefits or VA Benefits and were excluded from serving in the US Federal Government, as Teachers and in many other Civilian Occupations.

“Blue Discharges” were ended in 1947 and were changed to either a "General Discharge" or an "Undesirable Discharge.”

A General Discharge was considered to be under Honorable Conditions though distinct from an "Honorable Discharge".

An Undesirable Discharge was under conditions other than Honorable, yet distinct from a "Dishonorable Discharge."

In 1942, Military Psychiatrists warn that "Psychopathic Personality Disorders" make Homosexual Individuals unfit to fight.”

In October 1949 the Department of Defense created a uniformed Anti-Homosexuality Policy within the US Military.

The DoD stated “Homosexual Personnel, irrespective of Sex, should not be permitted to serve in any Branch of the Armed Forces in any capacity, and prompt separation of known Homosexuals from the Armed Forces is mandatory."

On May 6, 1950 President Truman created the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which became effective on May 31, 1951.

 It established a single Justice System for the Armed Forces.

Its Article 125 forbade Sodomy among all Military Personnel, defining an Offender as "any person subject to this chapter who engages in unnatural carnal copulation with another person of the same or opposite Sex or with an animal is guilty of Sodomy. Penetration, however slight, is sufficient to complete the offence."

On April 27, 1950 President Dwight D Eisenhower signed Executive Order 10450 which prohibited Federal Employees (including those in the US Military) from being Members of a Group or Organization considered subversive.

The Order lists "Sexual Perversion" (ie Homosexuality) as a security risk constituting grounds for termination or denial of Employment.

In 1957 the US Navy conducted the first Study of Homosexuals in the Navy.

The Crittenden Report found that “Homosexual People were no more likely to be a Security risk than Heterosexual People”, but nevertheless recommended that Homosexuals be excluded from Service because "Homosexuality is wrong, it is evil, and it is to be branded as such."

In September 1975 Technical Sergeant Leonard Phillip Matlovich became the first Openly Gay Active Duty Service Member when he appeared on “Time” Magazine’s Cover.

Matlovich, who served 3 Tours in Vietnam and was seriously wounded by a Landmine, was immediately Discharged from the US Air Force for being Gay.

On January 16, 1981 The Department of Defense issued Directive 1332.14, stating that "Homosexuality is incompatible with Military Service" and that any Service Member who has "engaged in, has attempted to engage in, or has solicited another to engage in a Homosexual act" will face Mandatory Discharge.

The Directive was reissued with updates in 1982, 1993 and 2008.

In December 1988 a Report commissioned by the Department of Defense, the Defense Personnel Security Research and Education Center supported the conclusions of the 1957 Crittenden Report that Homosexuals pose no significant security risk.

US Military Leaders and Politicians challenged its findings.

On June 12, 1992 The Government Accounting Office (GAO) released a Report estimating that the cost associated for replacing Service Men and Women Discharged for Homosexuality was $28,266 for each Enlisted Member and $120,772 for each Officer. The GAO notes that the estimates do not include investigation, out-processing and Court costs.

On November 30, 1993 President Bill Clinton signed the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Policy.”

The Policy defined Homosexuality as "an unacceptable risk to the high standards of morale, good order and discipline, and unit cohesion that are the essence of Military capability."

The Act (The Don’t Tell part of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell) prohibited any Non-Heterosexual Person from disclosing their Sexual Orientation or from speaking about any Same-Sex Relationships, including Marriages or other familial attributes, while serving in the United States Armed Forces.

The Act (The Don’t Ask part of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell) specified that Superiors should not initiate an investigation of a Service Member's Orientation without witnessing disallowed behaviors.

The Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Act specified that Service Members who disclosed that they are Homosexual or engaged in Homosexual conduct should be separated (Discharged) except when a Service Member's conduct was "for the purpose of avoiding or terminating Military Service" or when it "would not be in the best interest of the Armed Forces."

On November 30, 2010 The Department of Defense released a Report concluding that the Repeal of the Ban on Gays in the Armed Forces would “have a minimal negative impact on the Military's effectiveness.”

December 22, 2010 President Barack Obama signed the Repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell “into Law.

September 20, 2011 “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” officially ended and Homosexuals could now legally and openly serve in the US Military.

June 26, 2013 The U.S. Supreme Court struck down a portion of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which restricted Federal Employees in Same Sex Marriages — including Military Families —  from receiving Federal Benefits.

In September 2021, on the 10th Anniversary of the “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” Repeal, President Joe Biden announced that the Veterans Administration would start providing Benefits for Service Members who received Other-Than-Honorable Discharges (before DADT was enacted and while it was in effect) because of their Sexual Orientation.

From 1940-2011 over 100,000 Homosexuals were kicked-out of the US Military (including 14,000 during the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Era from 1993 to 2011.)

Homosexuals were forbidden to be Drafted (the United States had the Military Draft from 1862-1865 during the American Civil War, 1917-1918 during World War 1, 1940-1946 right before and during World War 2, 1948-1973 right before the Korean War, during the Korean War and during the Vietnam War.)

Same-Sex Marriage became legal nationwide in the US in 2015 (except for some Indian Reservations and the US Territory of American Samoa.)

There is currently a new Lavender Scare causing Unnecessary Mass Moral Panic across the United States (the same way it did in the 1940s-1970s.)

13 US States have Constitutional Bans on Same-Sex Marriage that would go back into effect if the US Supreme Court ever decides that Gay Marriage is Illegal.

30 US States have State Statues that Ban Same-Sex Marriage that would go back into effect if the US Supreme Court ever decides that Gay Marriage is Illegal.

43 US States have Anti-Homosexual Rights Restrictions currently in their State Laws or are trying to pass the Laws.

The US Federal Government is also looking into doing away with Gay Marriage and many other Federal Homosexual Protections.

Politicians and Groups of People across the United States are trying to cause panic and fear against Homosexuals so attention is deflected from the real issues and so People have a Scapegoat to blame all their problems on.