Not Yes or No, But What If: An Examination of Policies and Issues to be Addressed with Open Homosexuality in the US Military

摘要

Homosexuality in the United States military has been a contentious topic since the Clinton Administration's attempt to lift the ban on open service for gay and lesbians over fifteen years ago. Since then much has been written for and against the current policy, DOD directive 1332.14, commonly known as 'Don't ask, don't tell.' Gay rights organizations argue that it is a human rights issue and cite several countries that have lifted the ban on open homosexuality with few issues. Religious and conservative groups argue for maintaining the ban on the grounds that it would cause great harm to moral and unit cohesion. Despite the firestorm of opposing views, very little has been produced on how to implement a policy that would allow a fair and smooth transition if 'Don't ask, don't tell' was rescinded. This paper is not an argument for or against the current policy, but rather an examination of how the United States armed forces should produce a policy that would benefit both sides of the campaign, in the event that the Obama Administration is successful in its stated goal to overturn DOD directive 1332.14.