“We should not be punishing patriotic Americans who have stepped forward to serve the country. We should be celebrating their willingness to step forward and show such courage”- President Obama

The “Don’t ask, Don’t tell” policy was passed by congress in 1993 and was signed by President Bill Clinton. President Bill Clinton promised to repeal the ban on homosexuals in the military, but was blunted by the opposition in the military and Congress. During the 2008 Presidential Campaign, then Senator, now President, Barack Obama pledged that he would work with military leaders and Congress to repeal the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law.  Obama’s goal is to completely eliminate the “Don’t ask, Don’t Tell” policy, and give the military personal the freedom to speak out about their sexuality.

Don’t ask, don’t tell (DADT) is the common term for the policy regarding gays and lesbians openly serving in the United States military mandated by federal law. The policy prohibits anyone who “demonstrate a propensity or intent to engage in homosexual acts” from serving in the armed forces of the United States, because “it would create an unacceptable risk to the high standards of morale, good order and discipline, and unit cohesion that are the essence of military capability.”  The act prohibits any homosexual or bisexual person serving in the US Armed Forces from disclosing his or her orientation or speaking about any homosexual relationships, including marriages and other familyattributes.

Homosexuals have been serving in the military since the Revolutionary War, so what makes anything different now? During previous wars, such as the Revolutionary War and World War II, the military would “draft”, in other words force, openly gay men to join the military, even if they didn’t want to join. Now, openly gay men who actually want to fight for our country, are being told they are not allowed to. This is an unjustice that is not fair to the homosexual people our our country, the country of the free. We are supposed to have the freedom to speak out about whatever we chose to, and the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy goes against that freedom.

These polls show the increase of people in favor for openly gay service members.