Military is still enforcing ancient policies, which threaten to harm the principles our nation was founded upon. Every American possesses the natural rights of freedom and equality given to them at birth, that is, however, unless you are gay and in the military. .
On July 4, 1776 the "founding fathers" of the United States created the Declaration of Independence and began making a nation based on the freedom of it's citizens. On March 11, 1778 (less than 2 years after the Declaration of Independence was written) the first man was discharged from the military based on a conflict involving his sexuality. From that time forward soldiers continued to get discharged for their sexual preferences. .
In 1994 President Clinton, Congress, and the Pentagon agreed to put a law into effect that would prohibit officers from asking service members about their sexual orientation. This became known as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Pursue". Clinton's policy forbids investigation based on rumor, suspicion or claims regarding a member's sexual preference. However the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy hasn't been working. The number of discharged soldiers has progressively increased. In 1994 (the policies first year) the number of discharged soldiers was 599. Five years later in January of 1999 the Pentagon released figures for the year 1998. The figures showed a 92% increase in the number of gay soldiers discharged since the new policy went into effect. .
Some people believe that homosexuality is incompatible with the military. Some may also think that the presence of homosexuals affects the ability of the military services to maintain discipline, good order and morale. Yet, if people are forced to lie and hide who they really are, how can they "be all they can be"? Still, anyone engaging in any kind of sexual activity in the military environment can threaten the military's mission, not just homosexual activity.
