Don't Ask Don't Tell
From RationalWiki
Don't Ask Don't Tell is shorthand for the current policy of allowing gays and lesbians to serve in the United States military without fear of a witchhunt (Don't Ask) so long as they never admit to being gay or lesbian (Don't Tell). The policy was established in 1993 as a sort of compromise between gays being able to openly serve and the status quo of gays being discharged dishonorably. The basis for this policy is the following:
1. Gays and lesbians risk losing their security clearance.
2. Unscrupulous persons often attempt to blackmail gays and lesbians into revealing classified information rather than have their sexual orientation revealed to their commanding officer in a letter.
3. If the commanding officer learns of their sexual orientation in a letter this would result in the loss of their security clearance, lest they continue to have access to classified information which they might reveal to a blackmailer.
4. See part 1.
[edit] Repercussions of Don't Ask, Don't Tell
- Since DADT has come into existence, more, not fewer, gays have been discharged.
- Gay members who never told, were "found out" (by personal letters, by personal web pages, or personal ads) and were pursued despite the "don't ask" line.
- Since 2004 in Massachusetts and 2008 in California, same-sex marriage has been legal. No one is sure how this will effect DADT policy, since their union is a legal court document, but they are not allowed to "tell". We smell lawsuits coming.
- There have been three formal reviews of DADT, the most recent in 2005. All have admitted the DADT policy is a failure on many fronts; all have admitted there is a financial burden to the military to have such a policy, but none have concluded that it should be removed as formal policy.
- President Obama opposes DADT. The Republican Party supports it.
- DADT has been upheld 5 times in Federal Courts. It has not reached the US Supreme Court, though many experts see the court 5-4 in favor of DADT as legal policy, due to recent votes on other gay issues.
- Many service people with critical skills, such as translators, have been among those discharged.
