The Repeal of 'Don't Ask Don't Tell'

Repealing the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" (DADT) policy initiated by President Clinton almost seventeen years ago isn't going to be easy. Despite the Obama administrations attempts to do away with this policy, it is still in place (edit: DADT was repealed on September 20,2011). The focus is still largely on the health care reform initiative and on dealing with the economic crisis. Even gay rights groups seem to be focusing more on the subject of gay marriage than on the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" situation.

The "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy goes beyond the debate on gay rights and extends into an area that neither civilians nor military personnel are comfortable dealing with. How do you balance an individual's sexual preference with their ability to serve their country effectively within a close-knit team? Will an openly gay service member be able to fight alongside a heterosexual teammate without serious problems arising? Add to these questions the numerous logistical problems the Military would have to overcome such as barracks rooms, showers, etc and you've quite a lot of issues to address.

The thing that many people don't seem to realize is that gays have been serving in the Military all these years. In many cases the other members of the Unit know or have some sort of an idea that their battle buddy is gay. You can't live, work, and spend the majority of your day with someone without finding out a little something about their sexual orientation. How has the Military dealt with this in the past? Well, it depends largely on the unit and the people involved. As long as the service member isn't interfering with team cohesion or purposely bringing it to the attention of others that he or she is gay, it usually isn't a problem. He or she is treated just like any other member of the unit. There are situations where the team isn't as supportive and "outs" the soldier or antagonizes them into openly admitting their sexual orientation. As many gay rights supporters have pointed out, allowing gays to openly serve will protect them from discrimination. Regardless of the regulations however, many service members will never accept a gay team member.

Unfortunately, when and if the policy is lifted, the transition will likely not be seamless. When the Armed Forces allowed women to join there was a lot of work to be done, not just logistically, but in teaching soldiers about sexual discrimination and sexual harassment. These problems still exist, but that isn't a reason to stop allowing women to join the Military. Even though most combat units have no females in them, that doesn't mean they have no contact with women in garrison or even in a combat environment. Women are deployed just as men are, but they do not serve in a combat MOS (Military Occupational Specialty). Women in remote bases are far outnumbered by men and often have to share living space and post signs to warn men that the shower is being occupied by a female. If gays are able to serve openly in the Military, this is likely the same scenario they will face.

There is a lot to consider before revoking the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy. Policy makers are researching and evaluating the prospect of repealing this policy, but it likely won't happen anytime soon. Gay rights in America will need to progress a bit further before that happens. It seems to be an inevitability though that "Don't Ask Don't Tell" will become an outdated policy.