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Homosexual Admission in the U.S. Armed Forces

Homosexual Admission in the U.S. Armed Forces:

Debunking the Myth of the Unit Cohesion Rationale

The issue of gays in the military has been a topic of significant debate in the United States for decades, with many people opposing the inclusion of homosexuals in the military for a variety of moral, religious and other reasons. Thus, in 1994, when President Bill Clinton tried to fulfill a campaign promise by drafting a policy that would allow gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military, Congress responded by amending to National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1994 to embody what has now become known as the "don't ask, don't tell" policy (Belkin & Levitt 541).

The Pentagon has implemented this policy in its regulations. Under the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, military officials may not enquire into a military person's sex life unless there is evidence of homosexual conduct (Files A24). However, if a military person volunteers the information that they are homosexual, the military can discharge that person (Files A24). Essentially, therefore, the regulations establish that known homosexuals may not serve in the U.S. armed forces (Belkin & Levitt 541). The Pentagon's rationale for its policy is the "unit cohesion rationale" (Belkin & Levitt 541). This rationale contends that unit cohesion, performance, readiness, and morale would decline if known homosexuals were allowed to serve in the military (Belkin & Levitt 541). This paper examines the cases of known hnmosexuals serving in the militaries of other countries and concludes that the unit cohesion rationale is not an appropriate reason for prohibiting known homosexuals from serving in the United States armed forces.

Twenty-four countries around the world, including most NATO nations such as the United Kingdom and Canada and other countries such as Australia and Israel, do not prohibit known homosexuals from serving in their militaries. In an attempt to test ...

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Homosexual Admission in the U.S. Armed Forces. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 22:34, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1689177.html