The "don't ask, don't tell" policy has been rendered impotent if not downright illegal by various Supreme Court rulings, and yet the military's stance on the subject remains ambiguous. Before the institution of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, under which individuals were not to be asked about their homosexual desires or activities nor to discuss them with anyone, the number of people who had been discharged from the military for engaging in homosexual acts -- which is still grounds for a discharge -- had been steadily decreasing. After the policy was officially implemented, discharges for homosexuality became more regular, and were on the increase until just recently (Burelli & Feder 2009). Though the Supreme Court has rendered discrimination based on sexual orientation a violation of basic civil rights, such discrimination continues.
The various branches of the United States military claim that there are special issues at work in the military that make the issue more complicated and necessitate keeping homosexuals away from heterosexual servicemen and women. These are the same basic arguments that were used to perpetuate the segregation of African-Americans in the armed forces, and that are still often invoked in order to bar women from certain types of service (Ernst & Gilbeau 1993). These other minority groups, however, have already been fully enfranchised in society at large, and enjoy the rights of marriage and family without a second thought. Homosexuals are not truly allowed to be open or free in public even as civilians, and this has made the struggle within the military much harder. The rest of the nation appears poised to slowly move towards granting full citizenship to homosexuals, yet the military lags behind.
This, as we have seen, is all to true to form. The military leadership is still composed largely -- almost entirely -- of white presumably heterosexual (we're not allowed to find...
The United States military is one of the last institutions in this country to openly and consciously practice discrimination towards both women and homosexuals in the manner it does, yet due its political clout and it tradition of independent decisions made among the elite of its ranks it continues to get away with these abuses. Congressional advisements and Supreme Court ruling have done very little to sway policies in the military regarding homosexuals in service, and short of actually enacting federal legislation that mandates the open integration of homosexuals into the military -- something there has been a marked reluctance for in areas of civilian society -- it appears as though there is very little that can be done (Burrelli & Feder 209).
This does not mean that the fight should be given up -- far from it. It took nearly a century-and-a-half for African-Americans to be fully accepted and integrated into the military, and women have slowly gained their admittance only after decades of trying. Though "don't ask, don't tell" ended up presenting a step backwards insofar as the actual treatment of homosexuals by the military, the political principles behind the legislation belied an acknowledgement of homosexuality as an identity. Though this might be a bleak first step forward, it is something that can be built on in future years, and decades if need be, until the military lives up to its promises.
References
Enrst, R. & Gilbeau, R. (1993). "Gender bias in the Navy." Naval postgraduate school. Accessed 24 September 2009. http://www.stormingmedia.us/42/4258/A425862.html
Burelli, D. & Feder, J. (2009). "Homosexuals and the U.S. The military: Current issues." Congressional research service. Accessed 24 September 2009. http://ftp.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RL30113.pdf
