The ban on reason: Gays in the military

This thesis seeks to explain how and why President Bill Clinton\u27s 1993 attempt to drop the ban on homosexuals serving in the military was vehemently opposed by key stakeholders, even though empirical evidence strongly indicates that the ban is unwarranted and conflicts with America\u27s democratic ethos; The theoretical framework for this paper is based on Roger Cobb and Charles Elder\u27s writings on the political use of symbols. By manipulating cultural symbols, such as that of the masculine warrior, opponents of policy change forced Clinton into a compromise, the unsuccessful don\u27t ask, don\u27t tell policy. In torpedoing Clinton\u27s effort, these antagonists employed the same rhetoric that conservatives used to oppose desegregating the military during World War II; Ultimately, this thesis argues that the best chance for dropping the ban involves bold and decisive executive branch leadership that must take into account anticipated problem areas of implementation