"Now that we can ask and tell: The social movement legacy of the DADT repeal". Issue 9 (26th July 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Connell, Catherine
• Is Part Of: Sociology compass. Volume 11:Issue 9(2017)
• Page Start: n/a
• Page End: n/a
• Publication Date: 2017-07-26
• Subjects: Socioology -- Periodicals; 301
• DOI: 10.1111/soc4.12506
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1751-9020

Abstract

Abstract: The 2010 Don't Ask Don't Tell Repeal Act, along with the 2016 DOD announcement regarding the impending inclusion of transgender soldiers, created the possibility of open and unsanctioned military service for LGBTQs for the first time in US history. This article provides an overview of how these policy changes came about, from the emergence of DADT to the legal and activist challenges to its legitimacy, including its ultimate repeal and the subsequent move to extend open service to transgender people. After summarizing what we know so far about how the repeal has (and has not) changed the experience of service for LGBTQs, I consider how these policy changes have been received and interpreted by LGBTQ activists and scholars. Open military service is either viewed as one of the most exciting or the most damning developments of LGBTQ organizing in the 21st century, according to the two most prominent activist perspectives. This review outlines the key arguments of each perspective and concludes by considering the value of reconciling these disparate vantage points when analyzing the future of LGBTQ social movement strategy.