DADT Takes a Hike
In 1993 President Bill Clinton took the first step at trying to equalize gay rights by introducing the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Policy for gay members of the armed forces.
The act prohibited any homosexual or bisexual person from disclosing his or her sexual orientation or from speaking about any homosexual relationships, including marriages or other familial attributes, while serving in the United States armed forces. The act specified that service members who disclose they are homosexual or engage in homosexual conduct shall be separated (discharged). Subsequently many gay military personnel were discharged under the rule when they were exposed or came forward as gay.
Before the passage of DADT, homosexuals were expressly limited from serving on any bases and the new policy was suppose to at least give gay soldiers the opportunity to serve their country as long as they were not open about being a homosexual. Over time the legislation became antiquated and vilified for singling out gay members of the military and a strong push to repeal that act began to take form.
In late 2010, a stand alone repeal bill was passed through both houses of congress and signed into law by President Obama, which for the first time in history allowed openly gay people to serve their country. The repeal is a great victory for gay people everywhere and a beacon of hope that equal rights will eventually be granted in all areas of the law.
While DADT may not have been a popular decision in retrospect, it was a step in the right direction and was perhaps, as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, explains the “best of the worst and only options to advance gay rights at the time.” Sometimes it takes these sort of small steps to really make a big impact on future generations, and hopefully someday soon, gay people will be able afforded all of the rights expressly granted to all of the people in the United States.
-Dylan
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