Stivers 1

Emily Stivers
HELA II
Rager- 6
19 February 2015
Dont(do) Ask Dont(do) Tell
Being openly gay in the Military should not be a reason to be discharged. Dont Ask
Dont Tell was a law that was implemented on December 21, 1993. The law stated that no
member of the military was allowed to serve openly gay. Lisa Daniel of the Washington Press
said If a member was accused of being gay they were put on trial and often found guilty,
because it was extremely difficult to prove your sexuality to a court (Daniel). The sexuality of a
person should not affect how well they perform their job. It is ignorant to think that homosexuals
would be dangerous to the rest of the military personnel. On September 21, 2011 President
Barack Obama repealed the law (Cloud). Since then there has been some controversy on whether
the law should be reinstated or not.
Individuals who strongly support Dont Ask Dont Tell have one major reason for
wanting the law. James Bowman an American physician says that reason is Persons 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"(Bowman). This is completely not true. Suggesting that someones sexual orientation
affects a whole unit is absolutely ludicrous. Former Congressman Bob Barr says soldiers
returning from Iraq and Afghanistan said they are "personally comfortable" with gay people; a
majority of those who knew someone gay in their unit said their presence had no negative impact

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on the unit's morale(Barr). It is disgusting that some individuals believe that sexuality affects a
persons work ethic. Cohesiveness comes from working together and trusting each other. It is
extremely difficult to trust someone if youre afraid of being dishonorably discharged for
forgetting to use gender neutral nouns.
Under the Dont Ask Dont Tell law the military in the US was losing around 800 troops
annually. According to a study at UCLA taxpayers wasted around $360 million on training
replacement troops (Moskos). According to Charles Moskos, journalist for New York Times
The ban on gays openly serving in our armed forces is hurting a military that is already
stretched thin. The military has discharged more than 11,000 people under the policy, and in the
process has lost more than 1,000 service members with "mission-critical skills," including 58
Arabic linguists (Moskos). The policy against homosexuals hurt the US financially and morally.
Allowing this policy to return would be unjust and useless.
Dont Ask Dont Tell was put into place for the privacy of the military personnel. It was
said that it would be inappropriate for homosexuals to be in such close quarters with everyone
else. This was a 18 year old rule that was too outdated to still be useful in our society.
Anonymous sailor said If you served in this military in the 1970s, you would not recognize it
now. People who say we shouldnt serve openly are out of date, out of touch with todays
military. The young service members genuinely dont care (Daniel). The rule was outdated and
will forever be outdated. Never should this policy be reconsidered. It would appalling if any law
about banning homosexuals from the military ever reappeared.
Homosexuality should not be something that can prevent you from getting a job or cause
you to lose a job. Saying that allowing homosexuals to be in the military hurts morale is
completely wrong. There are multiple accounts of soldiers returning from active duty in foreign

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countries who stated that homosexuals had zero negative effects on morale and unit
cohesiveness. The only things that Dont Ask Dont Tell achieved was removing many useful
soldiers and wasting Americans tax dollars, trying to replace the soldiers that were removed. If a
new policy was established banning open homosexuality it would be a giant step backwards for
the United States.

Works Cited

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Daniel, Lisa. "Nine Months After Repeal, Gay Troops Slowly Coming Out." American Forces
Information Service News Articles. 20 Jun. 2012: n.p. SIRS Government Reporter. Web. 19 Feb.
2015.
Barr, Bob, and Charles Moskos. "Should "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Be Scrapped?." New York Times
Upfront (Vol. 140, No. 11). 10 Mar. 2008: 22. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 19 Feb. 2015.
Bowman, James. "Don't Change 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'." Weekly Standard Vol. 15, No. 4. 12 Oct.
2009: 25. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 19 Feb. 2015.
Cloud, David S. "Obama Orders End to Ban on Gays in Military." Los Angeles Times. 23 Jul. 2011:
A.12. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 19 Feb. 2015.

Grading
Criteria

Description

Points

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Content
and Ideas

Organization

Voice

Diction/
Syntax/
Conventions

Publication/
Appearance

Clear argument
Support uses ethos, logos, and pathos
4 or more credible sources used
Antithesis addressed and refuted

1
=

x2

10/10 PEER 1 Kelsey - solid points

10/10 Elizabeth M- You have all that you
need for the essay and they are displayed
very well
/10 Self grade
/10 final grade from teacher

Effective introduction and hook

Paragraphs are organized around claim

statements

Transitions are used between

paragraphs

Sequence is logical

Conclusion leaves reader with powerful final statement

The writer connects with the audience

through the intriguing focus of the topic,
selection of relevant details, and the use of
natural, engaging language, including the use
of vocabulary.

Five vocabulary words are used

naturally and effectively.

Writing is all in 3rd person .

Quotations are embedded and cited.

0-3 Errors in grammatical structure

typed and double-spaced

Times New Roman; 12 pt.

proper MLA formatting; heading that

includes student name, instructors name,
class, and date

works cited page is included.

1
=

x2

8/10 PEER 1 Kelsey - very good

9/10 Elizabeth M- Very well organized,
make sure your transition words flow
with the essay
/10 Self grade
/10 final grade from teacher
1
=

x2

10/10 PEER 1 Kelsey - enjoyed reading

10/10 Elizabeth M- very interesting to
read because I can tell you have a strong
opinion on the topic
/10 Self grade
/10 final grade from teacher
1
=

x2

10/10 PEER 1 Kelsey - way to go

10/10 Elizabeth M- your vocab words
were unique and got the point across,
nice job of embedding your quotes!
/10 Self grade
/10 final grade from teacher
1
=

x2

10/10 PEER 1 Kelsey - noice

8/10 Elizabeth M- I just switched the
HELA and Rager, after that it will be
golden
/10 Self grade
/10 final grade from teacher

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