Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT), byname for the former official U.S. policy (1993–2011) regarding the service of homosexuals in the military. The term was coined after Pres. Bill Clinton in 1993 signed a law (consisting of statute, regulations, and policy memoranda) directing that military personnel “don’t ask, don’t tell, don’t pursue, and don’t harass.” When it went into effect on October 1, 1993, the policy theoretically lifted a ban on homosexual service that had been instituted during World War II, though in effect it continued a statutory ban. In December 2010 both the House of Representatives and the Senate voted to repeal the policy, and Pres. Barack Obama signed the legislation on December 22. The policy officially ended on September 20, 2011.

In the period between winning election as president in November 1992 and his inauguration in January 1993, Clinton announced his intention to quickly seek an end to the U.S. military’s long-standing ban on homosexuals in the ranks. Although the move was popular among many Americans, notably gay activists who had supported Clinton’s campaign, and Clinton had promised action during the election campaign, few political analysts thought he would move on such a potentially explosive issue so quickly. The move met with strong opposition, including from Sen. Sam Nunn, a Democrat from Georgia who headed the Senate Armed Services Committee. Indeed, Clinton’s declaration put the president at odds with top military leaders and with a number of key civilians who had oversight responsibilities for the armed forces. After heated debate, Clinton managed to gain support for a compromise measure under which homosexual servicemen and servicewomen could remain in the military if they did not openly declare their sexual orientation, a policy that quickly became known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Yet military officers were overwhelmingly opposed to that approach, fearing that the mere presence of homosexuals in the armed forces would undermine morale. The policy was further subverted by discrimination suits that upheld the right of gays to serve in the military without fear of discrimination.

Under the terms of the law, homosexuals serving in the military were not allowed to talk about their sexual orientation or engage in sexual activity, and commanding officers were not allowed to question service members about their sexual orientation. Although Clinton introduced “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” as a liberalization of existing policy, saying it was a way for gays to serve in the military when they had previously been excluded from doing so, many gay rights activists criticized the policy for forcing military personnel into secrecy and because it had fallen far short of a policy of complete acceptance. For a variety of reasons, the policy did little to change the behaviour of commanders; gay and lesbian soldiers continued to be discharged from service. During the Iraq War, which began in 2003, the policy came under further scrutiny, as many Arab linguists who were gay were discharged by the military.

By the 15-year anniversary of the law in 2008, more than 12,000 officers had been discharged from the military for refusing to hide their homosexuality. When Barack Obama campaigned for the presidency in 2008, he pledged to overturn “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and to allow gay men and lesbians to serve openly in the military (a stance that was, according to public opinion polls, backed by a large majority of the public). During Obama’s transition, Robert Gibbs, his press secretary, unequivocally reiterated that position. Although gay activists hoped that Obama would overturn “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” quickly, discharges continued during Obama’s first year in office. In February 2010 the Pentagon announced its plan to reevaluate the policy and soon began a study, due in late 2010, that would determine how a repeal would affect the military. The following month, new measures were introduced to immediately relax the enforcement of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” to make it more difficult for openly gay military service members to be expelled. The measures included permitting only high-ranking officers to oversee discharge proceedings and requiring higher standards for evidence presented in such cases. For example, under the new guidelines all third-party testimony had to be made under oath.

In May 2010 the U.S. House of Representatives and a U.S. Senate panel voted to allow the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” pending completion of the Pentagon study and certification by the president, the secretary of defense, and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff that lifting the ban would not adversely affect military readiness. While the Pentagon review was being carried out, the policy was subject to a lawsuit claiming that it violated the First and Fifth Amendment rights of service members. In September a federal judge agreed with the plaintiffs, holding that it was unconstitutional, though the ruling did not invalidate the law immediately. Later that month efforts to end “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” stalled in the Senate, when the annual National Defense Authorization Act—which included several contentious bills, including the one that would allow for the law’s repeal—was filibustered by Republicans.

In October “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was halted after a federal judge in California issued an injunction banning the military from enforcing the policy. Later that month, however, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was reinstated after a stay was granted as the U.S. Justice Department appealed the injunction. Amid uncertainty concerning the policy’s future, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates issued stricter guidelines for its enforcement, requiring that the secretary of the air force, army, or navy consult with both the undersecretary of defense and the Pentagon’s top legal official before expelling a gay service member.

On November 30, 2010, the Pentagon released its report of its study on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” which found that repealing the policy would pose little risk to military effectiveness. Some 70 percent of service members surveyed believed that ending the policy would have mixed, positive, or no impact. However, some 40–60 percent of those in the Marine Corps expressed negative views or concerns about overturning “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” After a continued filibuster of the National Defense Authorization Act, independent U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman and Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins introduced in the U.S. Senate a stand-alone bill that would repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” A similar bill was introduced in the House of Representatives, where it passed 250–174 on December 15. Three days later the measure overcame a Republican filibuster attempt by a vote of 63–33, and the repeal bill was passed later that day 65–31. President Obama praised the vote, releasing a statement that said, “It is time to recognize that sacrifice, valor and integrity are no more defined by sexual orientation than they are by race or gender, religion or creed.” Obama signed the bill on December 22. Before the law could be officially enacted, however, the Pentagon had to devise a plan for implementing the repeal, which included updating various policies and regulations as well as developing education and training programs for troops. On July 22, 2011, Obama certified that the military was ready to end “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” after Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen also signed off on the certification. After a mandatory 60-day time period passed, the repeal took effect on September 20, 2011.