“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) refers to a policy that was implemented in the United States military regarding the service of gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals. The policy was in effect from 1994 to 2011. It aimed to strike a compromise between the prohibition of openly gay service members and the increasing calls for a more inclusive military.
The key elements of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy were:
- Don’t Ask:
- Service members were not required to disclose their sexual orientation. Military authorities were prohibited from asking about an individual’s sexual orientation during enlistment or service.
- Don’t Tell:
- Openly gay, lesbian, or bisexual service members were not allowed to disclose their sexual orientation. If they did, it could lead to their discharge from the military.
The policy was enacted as a response to the controversy surrounding the ban on gay military service members. Before DADT, there was an outright ban on homosexual individuals serving in the military. DADT represented an attempt to allow individuals to serve while maintaining a degree of silence about their sexual orientation.
Critics argued that DADT did not go far enough in promoting inclusivity and that it perpetuated discrimination by discharging individuals based on their sexual orientation if it became known. Advocates for the repeal of DADT argued for a policy that would allow gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals to serve openly without fear of reprisal.
In December 2010, President Barack Obama signed legislation to repeal the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. The repeal officially took effect on September 20, 2011. As a result, gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals could serve openly in the U.S. military without fear of discharge based solely on their sexual orientation.