The Stage
1990s: Transgender, Intersex, & Bisexual Politics Crystallize (cont’d)
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
In 1993, President Bill Clinton reneged on a campaign promise to lift the ban on lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals in the military, and instead instituted the “Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell” policy suggested by Colin Powell. This policy prohibits any homosexual or bisexual person from disclosing his or her sexual orientation and prohibits commanders from investigating a military person’s sexual identity as long as the person hides his/her sexual orientation.
Chai Feldblum’s papers at Cornell detail the Campaign for Military Service’s (CMS) efforts to propose more progressive alternatives to the “Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell” policy and give insight into the lobbying process. The June 8, 1993 memo to lobbyists shown here gives directions for the week, and ends “HAVE FUN, AND WIN THOSE HEARTS AND MINDS.”
The letter to President Clinton from Democratic women senators shows that they supported a full, uncompromised lift of the ban to military service for gay men, bisexuals, and lesbians.
As the CMS document on Senate supporters demonstrates, some Republicans shared this view, including Alfonse D’Amato (R-NY), who said “Last Tuesday, I stated a basic but important principle on the floor of the U.S. Senate, namely that no government has the right to discriminate against any of its own citizens. That’s why I support allowing gays in the military. It’s just that simple.” Positions on this issue did not follow strictly partisan lines.
A May 25, 1993 letter from Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT) indicates he was undecided on the issue.
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Memo to Campaign for Military Service lobbyists. June 8, 1993. Chai Feldblum Papers. [Zoom] |
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Letter to President Clinton from Democratic women in the Senate. Jauary 28, 1993. Chai Feldblum Papers. [Zoom] |
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Campaign for Military Service Senate Supporters document. Chai Feldblum Papers. [Zoom] View/download a PDF of this item |
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Letter to Campaign for Military Service from Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman. May 25, 1993. Chai Feldblum Papers. [Zoom] |