Thousands of men and women have been asked to leave the military because they were reported to be homosexuals.
Homosexuals Serving in the Military
Ever since the times of the American Revolution, being gay or lesbian has been considered a sin. However, it was not officially banned from the military until 1981 when the Department of Defense formed a new policy that said "homosexuality is incompatible with military service." During the end of the 1980s and beginning of 1990s, gay and lesbian civil rights supporters fought for a policy that allowed homosexuals to rejoin the armed forces. In 1993, "Don't ask, don't tell, don't pursue" was put into effect. This was an agreement between people from both sides of the argument saying that homosexuals in the military are not to make it known they are gay or lesbian, and the surrounding service members are not to ask. However, since then the amount of discharges has increased and people think it is making things worse.
Ever since the times of the American Revolution, being gay or lesbian has been considered a sin. However, it was not officially banned from the military until 1981 when the Department of Defense formed a new policy that said "homosexuality is incompatible with military service." During the end of the 1980s and beginning of 1990s, gay and lesbian civil rights supporters fought for a policy that allowed homosexuals to rejoin the armed forces. In 1993, "Don't ask, don't tell, don't pursue" was put into effect. This was an agreement between people from both sides of the argument saying that homosexuals in the military are not to make it known they are gay or lesbian, and the surrounding service members are not to ask. However, since then the amount of discharges has increased and people think it is making things worse.
Currently, the debate over allowing homosexuals to serve in the United States Military still continues.
Photo used under Creative Commons from U.S. Army Alaska