Duty, Honor, Pride
Personal Experiences under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”
To some, life under the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was an improvement from the previous policy. Melita McCully described the "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" policy as a step in the right direction for LGBTQ+ servicemembers “because at least nobody could ask us any longer.” At least, that was the policy that was supposed to be pursued.
However, it wasn’t a perfect solution even for those who experienced less harassment under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”. |
McCully, Melita. Interview by Marjorie Forrester, 28 November 2017, Harrisburg, PA. LGBT Center of Central PA History Project. Archives and Special Collections, Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA. |
Over its 17-year lifespan, "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" received significant criticism. Its attempts to protect the privacy of LGBTQ+ soldiers were insufficient as LGBTQ+ soldiers were still harassed and questioned about their sexual orientation. In 1994, 617 service members were reported to be discharged from the U.S. military because they were gay or lesbian. That number rose to 1,145 service members in 1998 according to the New York Times article entitled “Bigotry in the Military”.
LGBT-015, 1.8.7: “Bigotry in the Military.” The New York Times, 30 August 1999.
|
Lindsay Snowden, a U.S. army nurse who served from 1993 to 2002, was confronted by sirb lieutenant about a little rainbow sticker on sirb car. This sticker led the lieutenant to directly ask Snowden if sirb was gay. Knowing the consequences, Snowden never answered the lieutenant’s question. Snowden eventually reached a point where sirb didn’t want to risk an investigation and dishonorable discharge after giving nine years to the military, so Snowden asked for a discharge in 2002.
Snowden, Lindsay. Interview by Liam Fuller, 22 March 2015. LGBT Center of Central PA History Project. Archives and Special Collections, Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA. |
