Homosexuality in the military

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Robyn Hunsinger
  • 17th Training Wing Public Affairs

The United States military struggled with its stance on gay service members for decades prior to the signing of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in 1993 by former President Bill Clinton.

DADT progressed the military environment in its prohibition of harassment of closeted military members. This allowed gay personnel to continue to serve so long as they kept their sexuality a secret.

Congress repealed the law in 2010 and the repeal was put into effect in 2011.

“No longer will our country be denied the service of thousands of patriotic Americans who were forced to leave the military – regardless of their skills, no matter their bravery or their zeal, no matter their years of exemplary performance – because they happen to be gay,” said former President Barack Obama. “No longer will tens of thousands of Americans in uniform be asked to live a lie, or look over their shoulder, in order to serve the country that they love.”

Prior to World War II, there were no official laws banning homosexual persons in the military, however, there were laws in place against homosexual acts.

Military psychiatrists theorized that heterosexual males could participate in homosexual acts while dealing with the stresses of war due to the lack of ‘normal’ sexual outlets in war-torn areas. To protect America’s servicemen from the ‘threat’ of homosexual men within their ranks, the military created more in-depth physical and psychological screenings of potential military members.

“Just as the military sought to protect American interests through the careful selection and training of service members it also attempted to safeguard its men and the national body politic from perverse sexuality and sexual diseases by screening methods relying on physical bodily markers for classifying sexual identity and behavior,” said Christina Jarvis, author of “The Male Body at War: American Masculinity during World War II.”

The examinations would attempt to detect existing disorders and defects which may lead to mental or physical instability under stress. Homosexuality was among the list of ‘moral defects’ as well as other ‘sexual perversions’. The military doctors believed that homosexuality could be detected in the physical features and mannerisms of men and would dismiss recruits who displayed these characteristics.

“Between 1921 and 1941, the Army had some written guidelines for barring men with ‘feminine’ bodily characteristics or men deemed ‘sexual perverts’,” stated Jarvis.

Individual liberties and bodily privacy were nearly nonexistent when it came to these examinations. Selectees were put through a series of specific tests and questionnaires to determine their sexual orientation. As for members of the military found to be homosexual, there came the risk of court-martial and possible prison time.

“The publication of War Department Circular No. 3 permitted the giving of a ‘blue’ discharge to an offender who was not deemed reclaimable, in lieu of court-martial, and provided for hospitalization of those who were deemed reclaimable,” stated by the Office of the Surgeon General, Department of the Army, Washington, D.C., 1966. “Included in the reclaimable category were those who were guilty of first offenses, those who acted as a result of intoxication or curiosity, or ‘those who acted under undue influence, especially when such influence was exercised by a person of greater years or superior grade’.”

If an offender was found to be ‘reclaimable’, the individual was sent to a treatment facility before being reassigned to a different organization for a fresh start. If the person was found to be unfit for treatment, the individual would receive a ‘blue’ discharge.

Often times, military personnel would confide in medical officers about their sexual encounters which would result in the officer informing the individual’s leadership.

“When it was ascertained that the basis of the maladjustment was homosexuality and this was reported to the individual’s commanding officer, the subject usually received a ‘blue’ discharge,” said Lt. Gen. Leonard Heaton, former Surgeon General of the U.S. Army. “Objections to this harsh practice were raised by many in their being discharged ‘without honor’. Further, confidence in medical officers was undermined by the Army requirement that these officers report even those confidential statements given in a professional consultation.”

Throughout the decades, the laws and policies surrounding gay service members have shifted and become more accepting. Gay military members no longer need to fear that their leadership learning of their sexual orientation will cause them to lose chances at promotion and advancement in their careers.  Following 2011, gay men and women serving in the armed forces have the same rights as their brothers and sisters in arms.

"With this policy revision, we are now ensuring that service members are afforded protection against discrimination in the department's military equal opportunity program, provided to all military members," said former Department of Defense spokesman, Navy Lt. Cmdr. Nate Christensen.

Although it was disapproved in previous decades, being a gay member of the military has never been safer or more protected than it is now. Gay servicemen and women are protected under the same laws as any other person and offered the same opportunities to excel and live with a decent quality of life without fear of destroying their careers. They are free to marry whomever while also serving their nation.

As the civilian world evolves, so does the military.

“That is why I say to all Americans, gay or straight, who want nothing more than to defend this country in uniform: Your country needs you, your country wants you, and we will be honored to welcome you into the ranks of the finest military the world has ever known,” stated Obama.