Truth and Consequences: The Debate on Homosexuals in the Military.
Abstract
This monograph addresses the question of whether admitting openly homosexual persons into the military affects readiness. Homosexuality and the effect on military readiness has been a volatile issue since President Bill Clinton pledged to remove the ban during the 1992 presidential campaign. As a result of heated debate in early 1993, DOD and the administration compromised on the current Don't ask, Don't tell, Don't pursue policy. As this policy faces legal challenges and Americans try to come to grips with the propaganda and fallacies from each side, the Armed Forces has a responsibility to evaluate the impact of this or future policies in terms of readiness. This monograph analyses studies on over twenty foreign militaries, and six domestic fire and police departments, in an attempt to answer the question: Would admitting known homosexuals into the Armed Services affect readiness? This paper examines all sides of the argument and provides an assessment of the current military position. It concludes that there is still a void of data required to determine empirically that readiness is affected. However, conclusions and inferences about medical readiness, deployability, legal issues and privacy provide useful insights for framing future personnel policies and evaluating current ones.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 19, 1995
- Accession Number
- ADA300710
Entities
People
- Mike Prevou
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College