title: Formalizing the ban: my experience in the Reagan Administration.
abstract: The repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT) is a success story. As of September 20, 2011, one of the most egregious cases of modern day government-sanctioned discrimination has been overturned. But my (Lawrence Korb) involvement with military policy toward gays and lesbians began early in our country's journey toward open service--18 years before the creation of DADT and 30 years before the Obama Administration successfully opened the armed forces to gay and lesbian service members. In 1981, I joined the Pentagon shortly after the Carter administration announced a new Pentagon policy stating that "homosexuality is incompatible with military service" (U.S. Naval Institute [USNI], 2011). As Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower, Reserve Affairs, Installations, and Logistics, the responsibility of writing the directive to implement this ban fell to my office. In this article, I detail my recollections from this period in American military history: the codification of the gay ban in U.S. Department of Defense policy.
authors: Center for American Progress, Washington, DC, USA. lkorb@americanprogress.org
authors: Lawrence J
authors: LJ
authors: Korb
authors: Alexander
authors: A
authors: Rothman
mesh_terms: D035082:Federal Government; D005260:Female; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006716:Homosexuality / Q000266:history* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000266:history* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D011057:Politics; D011640:Public Policy; D063508:Social Discrimination / Q000266:history / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000523:psychology; D014481:United States