Gays in the Military Essay -- Homosexual Gay Lesbian

For nearly 50 years, it has been the U.S. military's official policy to exclude homosexuals from service. In November 1992, President - elect Clinton told Americans that he planned to lift the military's long - standing ban on gays and lesbians. Homosexual men and women, he said, should not be prevented from serving their country based on their sexual orientation. Soon after taking office in 1993, Clinton faced powerful military and congressional opposition to lifting the ban. General Colin Powell, then - chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Senator Sam Nunn, who was chairman of the Senate Armed Forces Committee between 1987 an 1994 and left Congress in 1996, announced that they would seek to block his attempts to lift the ban. For the next six months, debate raged over what to do about the military's ban on gays and lesbians. Clinton's liberal supporters wanted him to follow through on his promise to lift the ban, urging the need to end discrimination against gays and lesbians. Conservatives, military leaders and some lawmakers of both parties argued that the presence of declared homosexuals in the armed forces would be detrimental to military readiness. They said that letting gays and lesbians serve would destroy all morale and erode good discipline and order. Ban opponents maintained that gay people were capable men and women who should be allowed to serve their county.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In July 1993, a compromise policy was struck between supporters and opponents of the ban. The compromise, known as "don't ask, don't tell," allowed gays and lesbians to serve in the military as long as they did not proclaim their homosexuality or engage in Homosexual conduct. Under the policy, military commanders would not try to find out the sexual orientation of the personnel, and gay and lesbian personnel would not disclose their sexual orientation. The policy marked a change from past practice in that simply being homosexual was no longer a disqualifier for military service. Conservatives saw the change as a regrettable relaxation of the absolute ban on gay people. Liberals were dissatisfied because the new policy still allowed the military to oust gays and lesbians if they revealed their orientation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   While some liberals disagree with the policy, arguing that it punishes gays and lesbians for engaging in the same kinds of behavior that heterosexuals are fre... ...for the rest of society. If the federal government itself discriminates against gay people, they say, that sends a powerful message to other employers and to society at large Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I've discovered in doing this report that some opposition to gay people's military service is based on moral concerns. I feel that many people believe that homosexuality is wrong and do not want the federal government to appear to condone it by allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly. Some observers point out that gay people have not yet been fully accepted and integrated into society at large. They say that asking the military to accept gays and lesbians is simply asking too much. Reference: †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Issues and Controversies: Gays in the military, Facts on File News Service(1999), Retrieved from : http://www.facts.com/icof/i00062.htm †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Robinson, B.A. Gays in the military; â€Å"Don’t ask†, Don’t Tell†, (2000) Retrieved from: http://www.religioustolerance.org/hom_mili.htm †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Steffan, Joseph; Gays in the Military; Joseph Steffan verses the United States, (2001) †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A.P.A Newsletter; (1997) Retrieved from: www.apa.udel.edu/apa/archive/newsletters/v97n1/law/military.asp