GAYS IN MILITARY.   Term Paper ID:28705 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Changing policies from exclusion to "Don't Ask-Don't Tell." Economic costs. Arguments against gays in armed forces. Discrimination issue. Policies of other countries.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Changing policies from exclusion to "Don't Ask-Don't Tell." Economic costs. Arguments against gays in armed forces. Discrimination issue. Policies of other countries. Paper Introduction: GAYS IN THE MILITARY BACKGROUND: According to the Department of Defense, U.S. forces have had policies prohibiting homosexuals from serving in the military since the beginning of World War II. The policy prior to the "Don't Ask - Don't Tell" policy on homosexuality was formalized in 1982 and stated that: Homosexuality is incompatible with military service. The presence in the military environment of persons who engage in homosexual conduct or who, by their statements demonstrate a propensity to engage in homosexual conduct, seriously impairs the accomplishment of the military mission. The presence of such members adversely affects the ability of the Military Ser Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Although women make up only 14 percent of the military, they make up31 percent of those discharged under "don't ask, don't tell." Lesbiansarguably have it toughest, because the military may be more uncomfortablewith women in its ranks than it is with gay men (Morgan, 2). Separations for homosexuality did not requirea determination that an individual's behavior affects the military'smission. They don't have to deal with this tough issue (Warner, 2). Independent studies show that annualdischarges of gays and lesbians from the military had nearly doubled sincethe inception of "don't ask, don't tell" (Cullen, 3).THE ECONOMIC COSTS: Before the implementation of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the armedforces were running investigations which the General Accounting Officeestimated were costing $27 million a year. http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2 / 6/ 9/gays/index.htmlWarner, Margaret: "Gays In The Military:What Should The U.S. The killingrepresented the first major public opinion challenge to the policy. Sam Nunn, then-head of the Senate ArmedServices Committee, said removing the ban was "not simply a presidentialprerogative," and he spearheaded legislation in Congress that codified theban on self-identified gays and lesbians (Lindsey, 1). Armed Forces: A Report To The Congress;" National Security andInternational Affairs Division; Washington; June 12, 1992.----------------------- 1 It causes homosexualsto pretend they aren't homosexuals. ReferencesCullen, Dave: "Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Fall In Love;" Salon; June 7,2 . Specifically it stated: The order to integrate blacks was first met with stout resistance by traditionalists in the military establishment. forces have had policiesprohibiting homosexuals from serving in the military since the beginning ofWorld War II. GAYS IN THE MILITARYBACKGROUND: According to the Department of Defense, U.S. In terms of rank, gender, and race or ethnicity, the majority ofthose expelled were enlisted personnel; most were men; and most were white(GAO, 1).THE EVOLUTION OF "DON'T ASK - DON'T TELL": To many gay rights advocates, 1992 felt like the "Year of the Queer."Newly elected President Clinton had promised federal workplace protectionand a repeal of the ban on gays in the military. In fiscal year 199 , recruiting and initial trainingcosts associated with the replacement of personnel discharged forhomosexuality were estimated to be $28,226 for each enlisted troop and$12 ,772 for each officer. In 1999, the armed forcesdischarged 1, 34 people for being gay, a 73 percent increase since Congresscodified the policy. But more than $13 million hasbeen spent on the implementation of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (Lindsey, 2). (GAO, 5) Additionally, since the early 197 s, a number of police and firedepartments have adopted policies prohibiting discrimination on the basisof sexual orientation and have hired homosexuals into their work forces.They have not experienced any degradation of mission associated with thesepolices.OTHER NATIONS' POLICIES ON HOMOSEXUALS IN THE MILITARY: The polices regarding homosexuals serving in the military forces of17 selected nations - predominately members of the North Atlantic TreatOrganization and other U.S. Four of the 17 countries, orabout 24 percent, had polices that appear to have been designed to preventhomosexuals form entering the military service and to separate from serviceor preclude retention beyond an existing service obligation those activeduty personnel identified as homosexuals. http://www.newshour.com/newshour/bb/military/jan-june / gays_military_1-6.html.United States General Accounting Office: "Homosexual Service in theU.S. (Lindsey, 5) In March, 2 , the Pentagon released a survey of military personnel,ordered in the wake of the Winchell killing, that indicated widespread anti-gay harassment in the armed forces. Additionally, the European Court of Human Rightsof the European Union has declared that the policy of excluding gays in themilitaries of EU members is a violation of their human rights. Given the close divisions in the House of Representatives and theSenate as a result of the recent elections, it is unlikely that the nextPresident, regardless of who he is, will substantially change the "Don'tAsk, don't Tell" policy. AFebruary 1999 Gallup poll showed 7 percent of Americans nodding in supportof allowing gays to serve. The reason discharges have increased is because people facingharassment in the military have no recourse but to leave. Vice President Gore expressed interest in changing thepolicy, but would be unlikely to be able to marshal the necessarycongressional support for such a policy now. http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2 / 6/ 6/gays/index.htmlMorgan, Fiona: "Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Be Female;" Salon; June 9,2 . Mostfailed to predict the coming backlash, especially against Clinton's plan toissue an executive order lifting the ban on gays in the military.Ultimately, few political issues have been as divisive in the Pentagon andon Capitol Hill as the question of whether or not to permit lesbians andgay men to serve openly in the armed forces. During the campaign, Governor Bush stated hissupport for this policy, as did his running mate, former Secretary ofDefense Cheney. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Colin Powell called Clinton's plannedrepeal of the ban on gays in the military "prejudicial to good order anddiscipline." Democratic Sen. The presence of such members adversely affects the ability of the Military Services to maintain discipline, good order, and morale; to foster mutual trust and confidence among servicemembers; to ensure the integrity of the system of rank an command; to facilitate assignment and worldwide deployment of servicemembers who frequently must live and work under close conditions affording minimal privacy; to recruit and retain members of the Military Services; to maintain public acceptability of military service; and to prevent breaches of security." (GAO, 1) On the basis of its policy of excluding homosexuals from themilitary, the Department of Defense annually expelled an average of about1,5 men and women between 198 and 199 under the separation category of"homosexuality." These expulsions reached a high of about 2, in 1982 anda low of about 1, in 199 . As aresult, the EU armed forces are in the process of changing their policiesregarding gays in the military (Lindsey, 8)in the near future.CONCLUSIONS: The great irony of "don't ask, don't tell," is that since it wasenacted, public support for the repeal of the ban has grown considerably. For those members of the armedforces who are gay and abide by this rule, there is still discrimination.Gay officers, who endure a different set of problems from enlisted men andwomen, watch their professional horizons shrink as they move into their 3 sand remain bachelors, since male generals, at least, must marry, whiletheir private lives suffer from the absolute secrecy their careers impose(Cullen, 1). In thewake of the murder, the Pentagon ordered sensitivity training for itstroops to curb anti-gay harassment, the first revision to "don't ask, don'ttell," since the policy was adopted. Eighty percent of respondents said theyhad heard anti-gay remarks; 37 percent had witnessed or experiencedharassment of gays or lesbians. MilitaryPolicy Be Toward Homosexuals?;" Jim Lehrer's News Hour; January 6, 2 . During the past 1 years, at least two countries have droppedtheir exclusion policies. While 13 countries did notexclude homosexuals from entering their armed forces, several had policesrequiring separation if an individual's homosexuality was disclosed lateror if an individual's behavior was found to be aggressive, harassing, ordisruptive. Homosexual orientationis a personal and private matter and will not be questioned duringservice. Dire consequences were predicted for maintaining discipline, building group morale, and achieving military organizational goals. It causes the military to pretend itdoesn't care about homosexuals serving and it gives the Congressmen a freeride. The euphoria that came with the legitimization ofgay rights as a political movement blinded the movement's leaders. Inaddition, Navy investigations are simultaneously categorized as more thanone offense, such as sodomy and indecent assault (GAO, 6).THE ARGUMENT AGAINST GAYS IN THE MILITARY: It is believed by many in the military that a homosexual is asecurity risk due to their vulnerability to blackmail through exposure oftheir homosexuality by agents of an unfriendly government.HOMOSEXUALS AS SECURITY RISKS: The Navy's 1957 Crittenden Report, which did not question theunderlying premise of Department of Defense policy, stated, "A thirdconcept which persists without sound basis in fact is the idea thathomosexuals necessarily pose a security risk." (GAO, 4) In fact, if a person were able to serve openly as a homosexual, therewould be no vulnerability to blackmail about an item of public knowledge.Further, the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs ofStaff have recently acknowledged that homosexual orientation is no longer amajor concern. The total cost of replacing personnel dischargedfor homosexuality, however, would need to include other factors such as out-processing costs (GAO, 5). In testimony before the House Budget Committee, theSecretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff backedaway from security concerns as a major basis for THE Department of Defensepolicy. The policy prior to the "Don't Ask - Don't Tell" policy onhomosexuality was formalized in 1982 and stated that: Homosexuality is incompatible with military service. In the years leading up to "don't ask, don't tell,"when there was a full ban on homosexuals serving, the number of gaysdischarged from the military was, ironically, in steady decline, from ahigh point of around 2, in 1982 to a low of 597 in 1994, immediatelyafter the policy was implemented. In 199 , a total of about 472 investigations were conducted.These figures are approximate because the services can administrativelyhandle investigations involving homosexuality under other categories, andthe investigative agencies had to estimate the number of such cases. None of these predictions of doom has come true. Service membersare being required to lie, even to their parents, their doctors and theirbest friends, as a condition of serving our military. http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2 / 6/ 7/gays/index.htmlLindsey, Daryl: "The Cost of the Closet: The Real-Life Impact of 'Don'tAsk, Don't Tell;" Salon; June 6, 2 . Basically, only the costs of recruiting and training thepersonnel need to replace those discharged for homosexuality could bereadily estimated. Politically, "don't ask, don't tell" faded into the background of theClinton presidency. However, homosexual conduct is not compatible with militaryservice and will subject a member to discharge from the armedforces." (Warner, 1) According to The Department of Defense, a homosexual is "a person,regardless of sex, who engages in, desires to engage in, or intends toengage in homosexual acts." Homosexual acts are defined as "bodily contact,actively undertaken or passively permitted, between members of the same sexfor the purpose of satisfying sexual desires" (GAO,2).THE EFFECT OF "DON'T ASK - DON'T TELL": The aim of "don't ask, don't tell" may well have been to allow gaymen and women to serve in the military as long as they kept their lipssealed, but the statistics tell a different story. The presence in the military environment of persons who engage in homosexual conduct or who, by their statements demonstrate a propensity to engage in homosexual conduct, seriously impairs the accomplishment of the military mission. But the issue jumped back on the front burner in July1999, when Private Barry Winchell was beaten to death with a baseball batin his barracks at Fort Campbell, Ky., because he was gay. It was the result of a hard-fought compromise between President Clinton, who had advocated allowinghomosexuals to serve openly, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Congress,who opposed it.The "don't ask, don't tell, don't pursue" policy says: "The Department of Defense will not ask, nor will membersbe required to reveal their sexual preference. Indeed, Clinton's publicembrace of gay supporters had never before been seen in a modernpresidential campaign. The Pentagon's policy on gay service is commonly called "don't ask,don't tell," and has been in effect since 1993. Limited cost information associated with the administration of policywas available. allies - range from polices very similar tothat of the United States to no stated policy addressing homosexuality aseither a legal or a military personnel issue. Military leaderscontinue to ask people about their orientation, to pursue suspected gaymembers, and to tolerate anti-gay harassment. However, both officials continued to support the policy on thebasis of their belief that it is needed to maintain good order anddiscipline.HOMOSEXUAL DISCRIMINATION AND RACIAL DISCRIMINATION: A report prepared by DOD's Defense Personnel Security Research andEducation Center (PERSEREC) at the time of the initial controversyfollowing the election of President Clinton, commented that the policyprohibiting homosexuals from serving in the military was based on the samerationale used to limit the integration of blacks. 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