Image credit: Tamir Kalifa/Getty Images
September 23, 2021
Don’t Ask Us to Serve
It is hard to believe that this month marks the ten-year anniversary of the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT). When I first heard that DADT had been repealed, I was sitting in my sophomore English class listening to a lecture on Shakespeare. Over the next few months, I heard many politicians and activists talk about how important this achievement was for queer people. As a closeted gay youth at the time, I felt that the decision was a great victory for the LGBTQ+ community in the US and that we were one step closer to acceptance. However, this feeling did not last. Instead it has been replaced by a pessimistic belief that nothing has really changed.
Since the repeal of DADT, the lives of queer servicemembers have improved, but major challenges remain that threaten to undermine these gains and stall further progress.
Since the repeal of DADT, the lives of queer servicemembers have improved, but major challenges remain that threaten to undermine these gains and stall further progress. The four main issues that the US military needs to focus on that disproportionally impact LGBTQ+ current and former servicemembers are sexual assault, the HIV ban, dishonorable discharges received prior to the repeal of DADT, and the anti-sodomy law. Addressing these four problems could help mitigate threats to queer servicemembers that affect their ability to perform tasks effectively, live healthy lives, and pursue a long-term military career. Furthermore, by taking these steps the US military can improve its image and establish trust with the LGBTQ+ community, which has often been ostracized by military culture. The important question is: Is the US military and Congress willing to take these steps?
Read the full article from Inkstick.
More from CNAS
-
Bad Idea: Relying on the Same Old Solutions to Meet the Military Recruitment Challenge
Military service provides the sense of mission, purpose, and stability that members of Gen Z seek that few other options offer....
By Katherine L. Kuzminski & Tom Spoehr
-
Getting to Ground Truth on the Reach of Domestic Violent Extremist Groups into the Military, Veteran, and Law Enforcement Communities
On Jan. 17, three active-duty Marines, Cpl. Micah Coomer, Sgt. Joshua Abate, and Sgt. Dodge Dale Hellonen, were each charged with four misdemeanors in connection with the Jan....
By Katherine L. Kuzminski, Carrie Cordero & Arona Baigal
-
Recruiting Women to the Military
Kate Kuzminski, director of the Military, Veterans, and Society Program at Center for a New American Security, joined Government Matters to discuss recruiting, and women in th...
By Katherine L. Kuzminski
-
Stop Holding Recruits to One-Size-Fits-All Standards
Whether they are in uniform or not, if the military doesn’t attract these data scientists, engineers, and coders, it will continue to fall short of its recruiting goals, and m...
By LCDR Stewart Latwin & Lt Col Ernest "Nest” Cage