Policy Affected LGBT Military Members by History.Com, Adapted by Newsela Staff on 11.07.19 Word Count 920 Level 620L

How the "don't ask, don't tell" policy affected LGBT military members By History.com, adapted by Newsela staff on 11.07.19 Word Count 920 Level 620L Image 1. Matt Foreman, right, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum block traffic with a banner, in Times Square during a protest by ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) in New York on March 15, 2007. The group protested at the Times Square Military recruitment center against the remarks made about gays by U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Peter Pace. In an interview with the Chicago Tribune's editorial board on March 13, 2007, Pace said he supported the "don't ask, don't tell" military policy because homosexual acts are "immoral." Photo from: Getty Images/AFP/Timothy A. Clary. Starting around World War II, LGBT people could not be in the military. LGBT stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender. Many people felt gay troops would hurt the spirit of the military. Others disagreed. They hoped this rule would end. In 1993, the "don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) policy was presented. President Bill Clinton signed this policy. DADT meant that gay, lesbian and bisexual Americans could be in the U.S. military. But, they had to keep their sexual orientation a secret. Sexual orientation is the attraction someone feels for other people. It is based on their sex and gender. Supporters said this was a more open law. Gay rights activists disagreed. They said it forced service members into secrecy. They were still being treated unfairly, they said. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. In 2011, President Barack Obama ended DADT. Before "Don't Ask, Don't Tell": Expulsions, Exclusion LGBT service members were not always kept out of the military. But, someone could be dismissed for gay sexual contact. This was true as far back as the Revolutionary War. After World War I, the military made gay sexual contact a crime. In the 1940s, the country prepared for World War II. Many doctors said being gay was a disorder. Soon, people had to take a test before being allowed in the military. This test was supposed to find out if they were gay. In 1942, being gay was listed as a reason to be shut out from service. Still, hundreds of thousands of gays and lesbians served in the military. But, they kept silent. Many feared being discharged. Others feared losing their veterans benefits. The gay rights movement grew in the 1970s. A lawsuit was made by Technical Sergeant Leonard Matlovich. In 1975, he admitted he was gay. Shortly after, he was dismissed from the U.S. Air Force. But he was unsuccessful. In 1981, the Department of Defense confirmed the ban. During the 1980s the military discharged close to 17,000 gay people. "Don't Ask, Don't Tell": The Policy In 1992, Bill Clinton was running for president. He said he wanted to end the ban on gay people in the military. Gay rights supporters were very happy. But, there was disagreement in Congress. Colin Powell was a top military official. He argued strongly for keeping the ban in place. Later he suggested another solution. He said we should just "stop asking." On July 19, 1993, Clinton announced the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. It was approved by Congress the same year. It went into effect in February 1994. Under DADT, military officers could not treat LGBT people differently. But, LGBT people could not speak of their sexual orientation. They could not engage in gay sexual contact. They could be dismissed for violating these rules. Was "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" A Step In The Right Direction? Clinton admitted that DADT was not perfect. Still, he said it was a "major step forward." Many gay rights activists did not like DADT. They said DADT did little to help gays and lesbians feel accepted. The law said that gay people would harm the military. More people grew to be against DADT. This happened especially after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The United States began fighting wars in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Officers still treated gay This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. service members the same. By 2009, the military had dismissed more than 13,000 gay people. By 2010, Clinton said he regretted DADT. He said he had known that Congress would ban gays from the military. So, he had settled on DADT. The Repeal Of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Barack Obama ran for president in 2008. He said he would end DADT. During his first year, many gay service members were removed. By 2010, several U.S. states allowed same-sex marriage. Later that year, the Department of Defense did a study. It wanted to find out what ending DADT would do. It found that 7 out of 10 U.S. service members said its end would have mixed, positive or no effect. In December, Congress passed a bill. It canceled DADT. DADT ended on September 20, 2011. Soon after, other rules changed in the military. In 2013, the Department of Defense stopped the ban on women serving in ground-combat units. In 2015, it added sexual orientation to the Military Equal Opportunity policy. This meant gay service members would be protected from unfair treatment. In June 2016, the military ended its ban on transgender service members. Transgender people have a different gender from what is on their birth certificate. About 15,500 members may have been transgender at that time. But in March 2018, President Donald Trump signed a new policy. It made it illegal for some transgender people to serve in the military. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com..

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