Enter "Don't ask, don't tell." During his 1992 presidential campaign, Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton promised to lift the ban on gays in the military -- a move opposed by senior military officials and a majority of the American public. It became one of the first issues Clinton tackled as President, but when the White House attempt to unilaterally repeal the ban stumbled, Congress passed a law to keep openly gay men and women from serving. Gays were allowed to serve so long as they kept quiet about their sexual orientation. The phrase "Don't ask, don't tell" doesn't completely describe the law, formally known as the Military Personnel Eligibility Act of 1993. While the Pentagon agreed to stop asking about sexuality in recruitment forms and interviews, it never agreed to stop investigating whether those serving in the military were gay. As a result, since 1994, more than 12,000 servicemembers have been dismissed because of their sexual orientation.
Today, 25 countries allow gays to openly serve in their armed forces, including the U.S.'s closest neighbor, Canada. The British military began allowing gays to serve in 2000; members of the Ministry of Defense told The New York Times in 2007 that there had been no reported incidents of harassment, discord, blackmail or bullying, nor any erosion of unit cohesion or military effectiveness. In Israel, which has had no restrictions on gays serving in the military since 1993, the army magazine, Bamahane, showcased two men hugging each other on a 2009 cover. In Russia, people "who have problems with their identity and sexual preferences," as the military guidelines put it, are allowed to serve only during times of war. Many other countries ban homosexuality in society in general, making gays' military service there a nonissue. In the U.S., however, many think it's time for the military to catch up with the times. "As a nation built on the principle of equality," wrote General John Shalikashvili, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in a letter to Pentagon leadership, "we should recognize and welcome change that will build a stronger, more cohesive military."
