Don't Ask Don't Tell Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Dont Ask Dont Tell - Research Paper ExampleThis admirers in tackling with its limitations and at the same time enhancing its advantages. Therefore, in the below sections, the various phases through which a public form _or_ system of government passes are looked at, thereby analyzing the involvement of various stakeholders and the effects of the insurance policy on each. This will help establish the effectiveness of this approach in relation to this case. The Dont ask, Dont tell (DADT) policy of the US armament is studied (Harrop 1). The policy The Dont ask, dont tell policy came into effect in 1993 when President Clinton signed it into legislation. The main clause of the law states that the 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 which are the essence of armament capability. While this constitutes the dont tell clause of the act, the dont ask clause is not really a clause, rather an indication to commanders in the military that they must not bulge out investigation into the sexual orientation of other personnel. However, there is an exception clause to this which states that if the Secretary of Defense deems that such inquiries are required for the implementation of the policy or if the person being investigated is done so as a result of his behavior, then such investigations can continue. Therefore, the policy heavily weighs in favor of cornering mickle from the LGBT community by restricting their powers of freedom and enquiry. However, the policy as it was introduced was a compromise between the President Clintons election promise to lift the ban on homosexuals and the position of the military which maintained that homosexuality is incompatible with military service and that personnel who declare themselves to be homosexual must be discharged from military duty (Feder 1). Age nda Building The subject of homosexuality has long been a subject of contention in the US military. However, there has not been much compete until the latter half of the 20th century. A majority of the cases were dealt using the legislations Articles of War (AW) and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Both the laws did not tolerate homosexuality. In fact, sodomy was criminalized using through the AW. Homosexuality was seen as a psychological problem and hence people with the condition were seen as sick. Expert psychologists and psychiatrists were used to build public opinion. The policy continued through the Second World War until the years of Ronald Regan during whose tenure the defense directive was issued stating that homosexuality is incompatible with military service (History of dont ask, dont tell 2). However, this sentiency a change in the rationality of the policy. This was facilitated by a number of cases in federal courts which ruled against the policy implementation. For example, the Watkins v. United States ground forces case in which Sergeant Perry J. Watkins sued the Army after he had been discharged. Watkins case revealed that he had declared his orientation early on in his career and that he had made no attempt to hide it. Subsequently, after a number of years of court proceedings, the court found that the reasoning behind the provisions of the law was unsatisfactory. These developments forced the Army to