Bill Clinton: Remarks Announcing the New Policy on Gays and Lesbians in the Military

Explanation and Analysis of the Document

Clinton's Remarks Announcing the New Policy on Gays and Lesbians in the Military broadly reviews the issue, announces the new policy, and presents a justification for his decision. He says that the new policy “provides a sensible balance between the rights of the individual and the needs of our military to remain the world's number one fighting force.” He then reviews the events that led to his decision, including “the findings of a Government report saying there was no reason to believe that [gays] could not serve effectively and with distinction.” He emphasizes that the issue is not one of group rights but one of individual rights. He notes that gays are already serving in the military, that nothing shows they are less capable or more prone to sexual misconduct, and that any sexual misconduct is already prohibited by military regulations. He acknowledges that the issue is deeply divisive and that the military, as an essentially conservative institution, is one resistant to change. Still, the time has come, he notes, for the military to adopt the change.

Accordingly, Clinton announces the four prongs of the change in policy. First, servicemen and servicewomen are to be judged on the basis of their conduct, not their sexual orientation. Second, the enlistment procedure would include no questions about sexual orientation. Third, any open statement by a service member that he or she is a homosexual creates a presumption that he or she intends to engage in prohibited conduct, although the service member would be given the opportunity to rebut that presumption. And fourth, provisions of the Uniform Code of Military Justice were to “be enforced in an even-handed manner as regards both heterosexuals and homosexuals.”

Clinton acknowledges that his decision would be considered controversial. He defends it by stating that the existing policy is already “tearing at the cohesion of the military.” He argues that the new policy is a step forward “on grounds of both principle and practicality.” Speaking at the National Defense University, he urges military leaders to accept the new policy and implement it through effective training and leadership.