Repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell

Don’t ask, don’t tell is a military policy put in place by President Clinton in 1993 when he tried to repeal the ban on homosexuals in the army. Since then, over 12,000 gays have been discharged from the military. This policy is unfair, but I understand the reasoning behind it. Some people have been raised to be homophobic, which could cause the unit to not perform to its greatest abilities due to distractions on the field and not as strong of a bond between the soldiers. I personally disagree with DADT, because it is discrimination against gays as a whole, and says that the country doesn’t trust homosexual individuals to fight for their nation.

                America has fought so hard to end discrimination, yet the government still has a law that discriminates against gays. It may not be as extreme as past segregation laws, but it is still a form of showing favoritism towards straight members of America. It is a law that should be ended as soon as it can, and I support Obama for planning to end it. The nation as a whole has become more accepting of gays as topics such as gay marriage have come up in the voting ballots. The fact that gay rights have become more public has increased gay awareness and shows that they are just like us, besides sexual orientation.

                If DADT were repealed, I think it would have a mixed effect on society. Many people would be happy that gay rights are advancing, but others may be outraged because they feel they have been violated in some way. I think that it would be a positive advance towards America accepting all people, regardless of race, religion, color, or sexual orientation. It would be a good law to revoke, and would greatly increase people’s awareness and possibly their acceptance of gays.