Controversy in the Military For the longest time homosexuals have had to deal with discrimination everywhere, including the military. When Bill Clinton ran for president, he gave a promise to the gays he would allow them to fight, but changed his stance when elected and did not follow through on his promise. Instead Clinton issued the policy Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell that still hindered the homosexual’s chance of getting into the military. Finally, now after years of discrimination, a Representative of the House wrote a bill that will allow homosexuals the right to join and fight in the armed forces. The H.R. 1283 Military Readiness Enhancement Act of 2009 states homosexuals can join the military and should pass for the benefit of all those who serve the armed forces. Official discrimination against homosexuals began during World War II. Before World War II, it was only African Americans who had a hard time joining the military, but then the military started becoming stricter on who can join and who cannot. The military started making people take a psychological test, where anyone who wanted to join the military had to get tested by a psychiatrist (Katel). If people claimed they were gay, they could not join the armed forces. Discrimination continued in every war America has fought until Bill Clinton came along. When Clinton ran for president, he guaranteed to lift the ban that the military established on not allowing homosexuals the right to fight. To get around his campaign promise without trying to upset either side, Clinton created the policy Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell that does not really help anyone involved. Homosexuals were still unfortunately getting harassed, and kicked out of the military because of their sexual orientation. Anna Persky wrote in the American Bar Association Journal that the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was just a weak negotiation between social government workers and President Clinton, who promised to end discrimination in the military. With the new policy in effect, people should have an easier time joining the armed forces. However, homosexuals still had to deal with prejudice while trying to join the military. The “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy states that [t]he presence in the armed forces of persons who demonstrate a propensity or intent to engage in homosexual acts, would create an unacceptable risk to the high standards of morale, good order, and discipline, and unit cohesion that are the essence of military capability. (Katel)
According to these guidelines the Don’t Ask part means military leaders or military employees should not ask about people’s sexual orientation, unless they become suspicious. Where as the Don’t Tell part includes anyone who is gay and joins the military cannot talk about their sexual orientation or claim that they are homosexual. Some believe that this policy works, Todd South wrote a news article on what people think and with different interviews got both stances on the issue. One side claimed by lifting the ban it will develop an unsafe work zone and the other side thinks the government is wasting money by discharging gays and re-training new recruits. Each side makes valid points as to why they think the ban should continue or not. One person in the news article does not believe in letting homosexuals in the military “By allowing gays to serve openly, those who don’t agree with homosexuality would be forced out of service, either by conscience or by a ‘zero tolerance’ policy” (South). While another interviewee just says homosexuals would rules to help with serving in the military, just as straight people have rules to help with their service in the military. So if this policy stays in effect or goes out effect, one side will become upset. Representative Ellen Tauscher wrote the Military Readiness Enhancement Act so people do not get discriminated against in the military. With Barack Obama now president, he claims he will remove the ban for homosexuals. Finally, after all these years of waiting, people are accepting (too wordy) homosexuals and government workers want to change the law so there will not be discrimination. In the article written by Rowan Scarborough, he affirmed people are becoming more open to the idea of homosexuals being allowed to fight for our country (source!!). Even with citizens giving their approval on the issue, some military officers are still slow to agree. They believe in due time this bill should become a law, but just not right now, not with a war still going on. Even with those statements President Obama, Tauscher, and others are pushing for this bill to become law (reword). Also, The Sun News writes if the military starts allowing homosexuals back into the armed forces, they will be gaining not only more able bodies to fight, but also get critical military people. This alone will strengthen all parts of the military and then the military would not be stretched so thin on the number of fighters. The Military Readiness Enhancement Act will allow for homosexuals to join the military with no discretion. Furthermore, the military will become stronger and better with gaining critical personnel. People should be allowed to fight for the United Sates regardless their sexual orientation.