About “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”

What Is "Don't Ask, Don't Tell?"

• Passed by Congress in 1993, DADT is a law mandating the discharge of openly gay, lesbian, or bisexual service members. 
• More than 13,500 service members have been fired under the law since 1994.

Movement To End Ban

• In addition to President Obama reiterating his campaign promise to repeal DADT and calling it urgent,* 190 members of the House of Representatives have signed on to the Military Readiness Enhancement Act (MREA).
• The MREA, championed by Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-PA), repeals current law and replaces it with a policy of non-discrimination.
• Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General John Shalikashvili, USA (Ret.), is among the more than 100 retired admirals and generals who support repeal.

Military Attitudes

• 73 percent of military personnel are comfortable with lesbians and gays (Zogby International, 2006).
• The younger generations, those who fight America's 21st century wars, largely don't care about whether someone is gay or not-and they do not link job performance with sexual orientation.
• One in four U.S. troops who served in Afghanistan or Iraq knows a member of their unit who is gay (Zogby, 2006).

The Public Overwhelmingly Supports Lifting the Ban

• Majorities of weekly churchgoers (60 percent), conservatives (58 percent), and Republicans (58 percent) now favor repeal (Gallup, 2009).
• Seventy-five percent of Americans support gays serving openly - up from just 44 percent in 1993 (ABC News/Washington Post, 2008).

Ban Hurts Military Readiness

• The U.S. must recruit and retain the greatest number of the best and brightest-especially during two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
• The military has discharged almost 800 mission-critical troops and at least 59 Arabic and nine Farsi linguists under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in the last five years.

Why "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Should Be Repealed

Pentagon, Government Studies Support Open Service

• In 1993 RAND Corp. concluded that openly gay people in the U.S. military do not negatively impact unit cohesion, morale, good order, or military readiness.
• Several other military-commissioned and GAO studies have concluded that open service does not undermine military readiness, troop morale or national security.

America's Allies Support Open Military Service

• Studies of the militaries in Australia, Israel, Great Britain and Canada have shown open service to have no adverse effect on enrollment or retention.
• The total number of countries allowing openly gay service is 24. The US and Turkey are the only two original NATO countries that still have bans in place.

DADT Discharges Have Fallen Since 2001

• Since 2001, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" discharges have declined by almost half.
• During every major military conflict the number of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" discharges has dropped.

 

Total "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Discharges: 1994-2007

 

LGBT Patriots Are Serving With Honor And Distinction Now

• Today, there are at least 65,000 gay Americans serving on active duty and one million gay veterans in the United States, according to the Urban Institute.

Federal Government Agencies Do Not Discriminate

• The CIA, FBI, State Department, the Defense Department on the civilian side, and defense contractors do not discriminate based on sexual orientation.

 

Further Reading:

History of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

Learn more about how the military’s current ban on openly gay, lesbian, and bisexual service members came to be the law of the land.

The "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Law

Read the statute that made discrimination against gay, lesbian, and bisexual Americans the law of the land.

"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Directives, Memos, Etc.

Read Department of Defense directives, memos, and other documents related to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

Government Reports on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

Learn more about “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” from reports commissioned by Congress and the Department of Defense.

SLDN Reports

Learn more about “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” from SLDN’s annual reports evaluating the discriminatory policy.

"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Research & Polls

Explore the existing research on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and its effects on military readiness, and explore polling research on the opinions of political leaders, major newspapers, and ordinary Americans regarding “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”.

"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Fact Sheets

Get the information you need to advocate for repeal of "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell!" These fact sheets may be reproduced to share with friends and colleagues, at community events, with decision makers, and at any other venue to illustrate why the military’s ban on openly lesbian, gay, and bisexual service members should be repealed.