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Before DADT, the military would investigate suspected gay men like they were dangers to everyone around them. If you were a gay man, you couldn't even go to a gay bar while off duty because you might be being followed by MPs out to catch you doing gay shit.
DADT was a massive improvement and it doesn't deserve to be shit on just because you think it should have gone further.
DADT welcomed more violence and forced victims to remain silent. You're out of your mind on this one. The correct answer was to allow gay men and women to serve, without question and with The same protections all members of the military had.
Carrying water for homophobic policies is exactly the type of nonsense I expect from apologists that don't have their own standards or morals, though. I love it when this type of person jumps out from the woodwork to scold someone for actually having values worth standing up for.
It was also repealed by a Democrat, don't forget that.
And I actually was serving while DADT was a thing. Most of us on the Enlisted side rolled our eyes at it, because we thought it was dumb af to even have it at all. None of us (in my circle of friends anyhow) cared who wanted to bone who so long as it was all consensual.
I had a very close friend who was gay, and we served in Okinawa together. He actually came out TO his leadership to get his discharge because the mission over there was brutal on the workers (aircraft maintenance). Pretty much everyone knew he was, but leadership wouldn't make a move to kick anyone out unless you were actively like "Hey, I'm gay" straight to their face. And when he told his First Sergeant, the guy was like "Airman _____, are you sure you want to be telling me this?" Basically giving him an out to rethink.
He was a solid worker, just couldn't handle it anymore. And he was not dishonorably discharged. It's been a few years since I've heard from him, I should actually give him a holler and see what he's up to.
Anyhow, I say all that to be like, yes, DADT needed to be repealed, just like the trans ban needed to be repealed. But at the time, DADT really was setting the groundwork for many gay rights victories.
If you were actually serving, then you realize gay people were at extreme risk for being outed. Because if you were out that was considered telling which meant you were dishonorably discharged. So there was no relief from being caught by a fellow enlisted service person.
Back in the '90s I was commuting to Virginia for work. We used to go out in a Navy town and see all kinds of shows. In this particular town. There's a drag club that was very popular with some of the Navy guys, and wouldn't you know it? Every once in awhile someone would show up and everyone would panic and run away. They were desperately afraid of being caught and found out. Don't ask, don't tell. Did not fix that problem in any way shape or form.
The point we were originally talking about was protecting the right to abortion. Something that society has agreed for over 40 years should be a legal right, but nobody bothered to codify it in law. Just like the equal Rights amendment, it's ignored until it can be used as a cudgel to force people to vote a certain way. If Democrats actually passed legalized abortion on a national level anytime the last 40 years, two things would be true. One, we would not be in this situation. And two, they wouldn't have the ability to brow beat us against into electing shitty candidates just to eke out a win over other shittier candidates. Who knows, they might even put up a good candidate for once.