“Don’t Ask,Don’t Tell,Don’t Pursue”: A Critical Examination

President Clinton, in announcing his policy concerning the service of gays, lesbians, and bisexuals, referred to the policy as an “honorable compromise.” Dubbed, “don’t ask, don’t tell, don’t pursue,” the policy states that applicants for service will no longer be asked their sexual orientation. At the same time, the policy formally prohibits members from uttering statements or engaging in actions that identify them as gay, lesbian, or bisexual. Finally, the policy offers new guidelines for investigating homosexuality in the military intended to allow gays, lesbians, and bisexuals to continue serving but only in secret. This paper examines closely the text of the new policy in terms of the “don’t ask, don’t tell, don’t pursue” provisions and concludes that, with few exceptions, there is little substantive difference between the Clinton policy and the former policy.