Don T Ask Dont Tell Research Paper

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Perry Wheeler Dr. Livengood WRIT 101 10/13/2010 Is It Worth Telling Over the past sixteen years society’s views on homosexuals has greatly changed. This has had an impact on the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy due to the argument of freedom of speech. The policy states that gay persons in the military could be discharged for admitting homosexuality but not for actually being gay. Kathleen Parker discusses “The military maybe a microcosm of society in some ways but it most definitely is not a democracy” (12). Although homosexual people believe that banning gays from the military violates their civilian rights; the military says that people give up the rights and freedoms when enrolling. Military officials and personnel are…show more content…
Most of these people were of higher ranks and possessed extraordinary language skills (Homosexual Separations from Military Service 128). The “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy is restricting those people in the armed services who have different sexual orientations which causes the service to lose many talented people. This shows that every soldier in the military, no matter what sexual preference, is needed and performs a specific specialized job. President Obama promised to welcome gays into the military while many civilian groups show support for homosexuals. Because of the attitude change, “ the shift might seem natural”(Ephron 46). President Obama states that he doesn’t want a recurrence of what happened to military leaders in 1993. President Bill Clinton forced gay assistance in the military resulting in disobedience amongst members of the units. Obama also states that there will be major changes to the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in his effort to repeal the act, although parts of the government still believe homosexuals to be a “security threat”(Cary…show more content…
People are becoming more accepting of the sexual orientation because most of the upcoming generation is being raised to respect everyone. “Gay schmay. If he has the guts to go through the things I did then good for him…”(Marine Vet qtd In Parker 12). Military personnel are worried that by allowing gays to serve will decrease the number of people being recruited and mess up the consistency of units. Some government officials believe that the only reason to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” will be to improve military effectiveness. The controversy over the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy will continue to be an ongoing issue until homosexuals, civilians and the military can come to an agreement. Works Cited Cary, Peter. "The Pentagon's Fight to Keep Gays Away." U.S. News 1989: 57. Academic Search Complete. Web. 27 Sept. 2010. Ephron, Dan. "Don't Ask Too Fast." Newsweek 12 Jan. 2010: 46. Academic Search Complete. Web. 29 Sept. 2010. Gates, Robert M. "U.S. Department of Defense." Congressional Digest Apr. 2010: 116-18. Academic Search Complete. Web. 27 Sept. 2010. "Homosexual Separations from Military Service." Congressional Digest Apr. 2010: 113-28. Academic Search Complete. Web. 29 Sept.

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