Don't Ask, Don't Tell Reform in the Military Research Paper

Don't Ask, Don't Tell Reform in the Military - Research Paper Example In the United States of America, the way gays are dealt with greatly impacts the way people perceive leaders. This paper will focus on the controversial issue that regards the military’s Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT) Policy. Currently, there is a ban for the admission and maintenance of openly gay people in the military in the US, also known as Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT). President Obama promised to scrap off this ban and as a result, there have been efforts made by his administration to change the law regarding to gay people in the military. These efforts were futile because the democrats did not manage to get enough votes in the senate to allow for this reform to be done. This means that there still exist a debate as to whether openly gay people should be allowed in the military or that the ban be maintained. This subject is controversial because a reform in this law has un-ignorable pros and cons. Pros associated with a reform on Don't Ask, Don't Tell Act in the Military U nder the â€Å"Don't Tell† part of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Act, any military person who discloses that they are in a homosexual relationship is terminated from the military (Jones 3). This is very unfair to them considering the large numbers of well known homosexuals in the country. What should be taken into consideration is how their declaration of their status has affected their service and discipline in the military and that of others as well. If no negative effect or disallowed behavior can be pointed out, then there is no good basis of removing such people from the military. This is because a declaration of their status may not necessarily mean that there will be a change in discipline or service among the gays (Belkin 278). Some of the research or studies conducted indicate that there is no incompatibility between open gay lifestyle with military service. Examples of such studies are that which was conducted by RAND Corporation under the commission of the department o f defense (DOD) and that conducted by the General Accounting Office. This means that a reform on the Don't Tell part of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Act will be most advantageous to the military personnel. This is because it will end the victimization of these who have openly declared their sexual orientation without portraying any unwanted behaviors from then onwards. Don't Ask, Don't Tell Act protects gays from being denied a chance to join the military as along as they do not openly declare their engagement in gay activities (Levy 190). As a result of this, all people have had an equal chance to join the US military provided they meet all the specified requirements. This means that the right to employment among the gays has not been interfere in any way. This important because there is no substantial evidence that being a gay is affects the ability of an individual to execute their duties as expected. This means that a scrap of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Act will serve to protect tho se who may declare their engagement in gay activities during the recruitment process. Cons associated with a reform on Don't Ask, Don't Tell Act in the Military Ban on Don't Ask, Don't Tell Act could have great impacts on culture and discipline within the military (Belkin 280). This is because the Don’t Tell policy moderates public engagement among gay. An open declaration of gay orientation could make the behavior spread in