Gays in the Military

While campaigning for president, Bill Clinton said that he favored allowing homosexuals to serve in the military. Although this was not a major issue during the campaign, as soon as Clinton was elected, gay activists began pressuring him to issue an executive order banning discrimination against gays in the military.

However, intense opposition arose when Clinton's plans became public. Conservatives charged that such a policy would undermine morale and harm the readiness of the military. They began to introduce legislation to specifically prohibit homosexuals from serving in the military.

Eventually, Clinton reached a compromise known as "don't ask, don't tell." According to this policy, gays would be permitted to continue to serve in the military as long as they did not publicly declare their sexual orientation. In exchange, military commanders would not inquire about the sexual orientation of recruits. In addition, Clinton decided to implement this policy without issuing an executive order, as he had originally planned.