Don't Ask, Don't Tell: Military's Awkward Compromise
President Bill Clinton announced the "don't ask, don't tell" policy on July 19, 1993, attempting to compromise between his campaign promise to end the ban on gay military service and fierce opposition from the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Congress. The policy allowed gay, lesbian, and bisexual Americans to serve as long as they concealed their sexual orientation, while prohibiting commanders from asking. In practice, more than 14,500 service members were discharged under the policy over its seventeen-year existence, many after being outed by third parties. The uncomfortable middle ground satisfied neither side and was finally repealed in 2011, when open service became the law.
July 19, 1993
33 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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