Today's Don't Ask, Don't Tell

In 2011, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" came to an end allowing the country to close the book on a discriminatory practice that forced men and women who were committed to serving their Nation's military to live in silence. Under this policy, gay people who wanted to join the military would no longer be forced to lie about their sexual orientation. However, they were not permitted to disclose their sexuality. Promoted as a bargain between the Clinton Administration, military leadership, and Congress, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) was met with outrage from many LGBT advocates. Who felt the new policy was simply a new version of the past bans on LGBT individuals in the military. Many of DADT's opponents believed this policy involved marginal progress and was considered a step back from the complete integration of LGBT service members.

"You were being discharged for saying you were gay or for engaging in sexual behavior with someone of the same gender or if you married or intended to marry someone of the same gender. So, the bans were the same." Dixon Osburn, Servicemembers Legal Defense Network.

During this era, millions of men and women either served in silence through lies, deceit, jealousy, love affairs, and fear, all of them had to conceal their own sexuality to serve while many more were prevented from doing so. In 1993, the Senate Armed Services Committee chair, Sam Nunn, argued that allowing the service of openly gay individuals would undermine "unit cohesion" and would degrade combat effectiveness. While LGBT advocates firmly believed that the beliefs were based on stereotypes rather than facts.

To many, this policy was symbolic, "If the federal government treats gays as second-class citizens, then it permits everybody else to treat us as second-class citizens as well," however, as the years past more than 80% of Americans opposed this discrimination. This change only occurred because the American people began to hear the stories and voices of those affected by this terrible practice. Many Americans listened to the voices and got to know those who were denied the right to serve their country and realized it was time to get rid of this discriminatory law and fought on the right side of history.

But our job is not complete; neither is today's military entirely inclusive of our entire community. For the transgender community, the government's narrative is all too familiar. The Trump's Administration's ban on transgender individuals from serving states that "transgender troops could impair unit readiness," "undermine unit cohesion," and lead to disproportionate costs." Contrary to their findings in 1993 for DADT, the Rand Corporation states in their assessment of a transgender service member that there "Minimal impact on readiness and healthcare costs."

It is now time to tell the stories of the transgender men and women who are still not allowed to serve this Nation openly and even proudly. We need their voices to continue to tell their stories so that this discrimination can come to an end as well.

As we begin preparing for our next concert, "Indivisible." The Gateway Men's Chorus would like to hear your story. Whether directly affected as a veteran or someone currently serving, or maybe you are a spouse, family member, friend, and even an ally, we all have been affected.

Please use the following link to let us know how this discriminatory practice has affected you or your loved ones. Your story is essential for the continued fight for everyone's right to serve, no matter one's sexuality. All able and willing individual has the right to stand in a fox hole and defend their Nation.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScLRZk4GlpSiQCfOayR5MahkIOXbynssfYpm701fIEG-QnpCg/viewform?fbclid=IwAR1qXu3ZXTaTIN6t218PzVfotFy59m5TaH31ulBrb_K-hUkrwldRAruiQCw