Mint Male Magazine November 2009 (Gay)

The public debate about gays in the military began as early as World War II. Homosexuality in those years was diagnosed as a mental illness, and gay draftees were rejected on a medical basis. In 1942, the military formalized this practice by listing procedures by which a homosexual draftee was to be rejected.

A January, 1982 Department of Defense Directive, 1332.14, formally stated, “Homosexuality is incompatible with military service. The presence in the military environment of persons who engage in homosexual conduct or who, by their statements, demonstrate a propensity to engage in homosexual conduct, seriously impairs the accomplishment of the military mission.”

In 1992, Bill Clinton ran for president with a platform that included a promise to end discriminatory practices in the military. Instead, in 1993, his administration passed US Code Title 10, Section 654, better known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell “(DADT). DADT essentially continued the policies of the DOD Directive, reiterating that “there is no Constitutional right to serve in the military” and that “military life is fundamentally different from civilian life,” thus, “the presence in the armed forces of persons who demonstrate a propensity or intent to engage in homosexual acts would create an unacceptable risk to the high standards of morale, good order and discipline, and unit cohesion that are the essence of military capability.” Soldiers would be removed from the military if it was believed that they had committed a homosexual act and were expected to do so again, have stated that he/she is homosexual, or marries, or attempts to marry, a person of the same sex. The “liberalising” aspect of the policy was that commanders were now supposed to avoid asking their soldiers about their sexual orientation.

The Military Readiness Enhancement Act of 2009, introduced to the House on March 3, 2009, appeals Section 654 of Title 10, and replaces it with a policy of nondiscrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. On October 10, 2009, President Obama announced at the Human Rights Campaign dinner: Uniting American Families Act Senate Bill 424 and House Bill 1024, known as the Uniting American Families Act, proposes to end discrimination in immigration by allowing individuals to sponsor their permanent partners for citizenship. Most notably, the bill will amend Section 101(a) (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, adding the word permanent partner behind the word marriage. A permanent partner is defined as a person who: (A) is in a committed, intimate relationship with another individual 18 years of age or older in which both individuals intend a lifelong commitment; (B) is financially interdependent with that other individual; (C) is not married to, or in a permanent partnership with, any individual other than that other individual; (D) is unable to contract with that other individual a marriage recognizable under this Act; and (E) is not a first, second, or third degree blood relation of that other individual.

Both bills have been referred to subcommittees.