Vendaval
Posts: 10297
Joined: 1/15/2005
Status: offline
|
"Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Pursue, Don't Harass"
" The "Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Pursue, Don't Harass" policy requires gay, lesbian and bisexual service members to keep their sexual orientation secret and refrain from same-sex sexual conduct. The military is banned from asking questions about a service member's sexual orientation, and significant restrictions are placed on commanders seeking to investigate the possibility that a service member may be gay. Anti-gay harassment is prohibited under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," as are "witch hunts" and certain other invasive investigations that have been used over the years to root out gay, lesbian and bisexual service members.
Under the current policy, service members may be investigated and administratively discharged if they:
- make a statement that they are lesbian, gay or bisexual;
- engage in physical contact with someone of the same sex for the purposes of sexual gratification; or
- marry, or attempt to marry, someone of the same sex.
What is the policy's history?
Before "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the stated policy of the U.S. military was that "homosexuality is incompatible with military service." All recruits were asked about their sexual orientation before they were allowed to serve. Service members suspected of being gay, lesbian or bisexual were questioned, prosecuted and even threatened with court martial and prison if they refused to give up the names of other service members who were also gay. Many of the gay soldiers being discharged were dishonorably discharged, making them ineligible for military pension and other retirement benefits.
In 1992, presidential candidate Bill Clinton declared his opposition to the military's exclusion of lesbian, gay and bisexual soldiers. During Clinton's first year in office, a very public congressional and national debate ensued regarding the question of whether the military's practices were acceptable.
Advocates for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community proposed a policy of equal treatment, reasoning that sexual orientation has no bearing on a person's ability to serve. However, after hearings before the Senate Armed Services Committee and much debate, a compromise now known as the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Pursue, Don't Harass" policy was reached in 1993.
What are the fiscal effects of the policy?
The policy's implementation has resulted in a substantial increase in the number of discharges based on sexual orientation as well as high costs related to the discharges. According to the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, more than 9,000 service members have been discharged under the "don't ask, don't tell" policy at a cost of more than a quarter billion dollars to U.S. taxpayers.
Has harassment continued?
Although gay, lesbian and bisexual service members have been held to the "Don't Tell" portion of the policy, reports show that the "Don't Ask, Don't Pursue, Don't Harass" parts of the policy are often ignored.
A 2000 Defense Department inspector general survey showed that 80 percent of service members had heard offensive speech, derogatory names, jokes or remarks about gays in the previous year, and that 85 percent believed such comments were tolerated. Thirty-seven percent reported that they had witnessed or experienced direct, targeted forms of harassment, including verbal and physical assaults and property damage. Overwhelmingly, service members did not report the harassment. When asked why, many cited fear of retaliation.
Anti-gay epithets and jokes are not the only forms of sexual orientation harassment that persist in the military. In July 1999, Pfc. Barry Winchell was brutally beaten with a baseball bat in his barracks at Fort Campbell, Ky. He died as a result of the attack. Fellow soldiers testified that the death came months after vile anti-gay name-calling and harassment, rumor-mongering and inquiries into his private life. An Army inspector general report in July 2000 found that before and after the murder, Maj. Gen. Robert Clark, the commanding general at Fort Campbell, had not provided required training on the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. Following the report, President George W. Bush twice nominated Clark for a promotion to lieutenant general, the Army's second highest rank. Due to controversy surrounding Clark's previous command at Fort Campbell, the Senate Armed Services Committee did not act on his promotion in 2002. In 2003, the committee is considering his nomination a second time.
Today, many service members continue to be interrogated, harassed and threatened about their sexual orientation. The "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy offers no safe space for service members dealing with such harassment, as psychotherapists, chaplains and doctors have all been known to report service members struggling with their sexual orientation or with harassment based on their perceived sexual orientation. Thus, confidentiality for service members facing these issues is almost nonexistent."
http://www.hrc.org/Content/NavigationMenu/HRC/Get_Informed/Issues/Military2/Fact_Sheets_Dont_Ask_Dont_Tell/Dont_Ask,_Dont_Tell_Fact_Sheet.htm
_____________________________
"Beware, the woods at night, beware the lunar light.
So in this gray haze we'll be meating again, and on that
great day, I will tease you all the same."
"WOLF MOON", OCTOBER RUST, TYPE O NEGATIVE
http://KinkMeet.co.uk
|
Get rid of "Don't ask, don't tell" military p... - 
Profile
New Messages
No New Messages
Hot Topic w/ New Messages
Hot Topic w/o New Messages
Locked w/ New Messages
Locked w/o New Messages
Post New Thread