On this day in 2011, the US military ended its “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. It was a terrible policy, because it managed to do exactly the opposite of what was intended. As far as I can tell, it caused the military to systematize the oppression of LGB service members. And as a result, the oppression went way up. Although you really have to wonder about the petty, frightened souls who ratted out their fellow soldiers. These, after all, were supposed to be people who would die for each other. But finding out that one of them was “gay” — well that was right out!
The only reason I bring this up today, is that it’s been four years and the military hasn’t been destroyed. Of course, before it happened, that’s exactly what conservatives predicted. For example, John McCain said it was a potentially deadly distraction. But even at the time, people were noting that most western countries had had LGB soldiers for a long time without problem. But that didn’t matter, because America was “exceptional!” In this case, that apparently meant: totally incompetent.
Transgender people are still forbidden in the military. But this is only because we are incredibly slow learners.