Nearly a year after Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was repealed, the first academic study on the topic shows repealing the policy has not had any negative effects on the military.
According to Politico, the 12 total findings of the study showed that “in no case did negative consequences outweigh benefits. In balance, DADT repeal has enhanced the military’s ability to pursue its mission.”
Only two members of the military resigned because DADT was repealed, and both were chaplains. Retention and recruitment were also unaffected, and there was no increase in violence or physical abuse and no “wave of mass disclosures of sexual orientation.”
Aaron Belkin, the study’s lead author, told Politico that interestingly enough, Mitt Romney and other Republican former presidential candidates had not expressed support for the repeal.
“The Republican platform now includes language that says, if elected, the president … plans to review military personnel policies,” he said, adding, “I don’t think Mitt Romney wants to admit he wants to repeal, but I think he does want to reverse the policy. It’s important to know if the policy is working or not.”
– Camille Beredjick