I fully anticipated difficulties in researching my topic. LGBTQ+ communities have not been advocated for until the 1950s and only recently has it been seen in a positive light. Policies like 600-20 also likely will skew information about LGBTQ+ in the military. This is not a topic that I can easily look up online and I was having difficulties finding sources on anything other than a general history. That being said, after a session with a school librarian, Christian Connor, I was able to find enough sources that half of my research is complete.

I was searching for mostly scholarly journals on the database Proquest, but the one specifically for social issues. I found numerous sources discussing LGBTQ+ in the military.  This source specifically focuses on men in the military and how homophobia of the working class has increased or decreased over the years. It mentions world war 2 and includes personal accounts of gay service members. For another source, an interlibrary loan would be necessary. The abstract proves that the full text would likely be helpful. The source states that a study was done that found no negative effect on the military after the DADA repeal, proving that LGBTQ+ being open in the military has no consequences. I also decided to look up blogs and newspapers to get information on public view. One newspaper was a NY Times article published in 1989. It talks about the debate in the pentagon over homosexuals in the military. Despite some saying the report to accept homosexuals was not flawed, the pentagon rejected the report on this basis, claiming it was biased. Another more current article is perfect to show the opinions of legislators about the recent ban of LGBTQ members in the military.  Congresswoman Hartzler said, “military service is a privilege, not a right.” 1 Finally, the last type of source I discovered was polls. I specifically used Gallup poll and I side with. There was a Gallup poll on how Americans are nearly evenly divided with slight favorability toward LGBTQ. In 1991, 50% compared to 43% still wanted to keep the ban on LGBTQ+ from joining the military. It will be interesting to see how it compares to modern-day opinion. 

Connors helped me find databases to search, how to request interlibrary loans, and how to search the school’s library for books. I also learned a lot while looking at multiple American textbooks throughout history. I did not expect to find anything relating to LGBTQ+, especially in the older textbooks. Instead, I looked for words involving Eisenhower, McCarthy, the Vietnam and Korean wars and so on. I was also advised to look at military records in the textbooks. I was so focused on those words, I actually forgot to check the more modern books for word homosexual. Created Equal: A Social and Political History of the United States second edition, published in 2006, had multiple pages on homosexuals in history. This includes events like the Stonewall riot of 1969 and the first gay pride parade. I am not only using the research methods for this class but also my other classes, for example, Critical Reading and Writing. I learned where to search to find specific sources, what to search, and that interlibrary loans are my best friend.

Footnotes and Work Cited

Belkin, Aaron, Morten G. Ender, Nathaniel Frank, Stacie R. Furia, George Lucas, Gary Packard, Steven M. Samuels, Tammy Schultz, and David R. Segal. “Readiness and DADT Repeal: Has the New Policy of Open Service Undermined the Military?” Armed Forces and Society 39, no. 4 (10, 2013): 587. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0095327X12466248. http://library.ramapo.edu:2048/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1432297745?accountid=13420.

By ELAINE SCIOLINOSpecial to The New,York Times. (1989, Oct 22). Report urging end of homosexual ban rejected by military: Pentagon rejects report critical of homosexual ban no security risk, says the military’s own research center. New York Times (1923-Current File) Retrieved from http://library.ramapo.edu:2048/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/110207622?accountid=13420

Saad, Lydia. “Gallup Vault: Issue of Gays in Military Split Americans in 1993.” Gallup.com. Gallup, March 13, 2020. https://news.gallup.com/vault/214745/gallup-vault-issue-gays-military-split-americans-1993.aspx.

1 Stark, Liz. “Lawmakers, LGBTQ Groups Divided over Transgender Military Service.” CNN Wire. July 27, 2017. https://advance-lexis-com.library2.ramapo.edu:2443/document/?pdmfid=1516831&crid=43768b5f-e6e2-4e5e-8934-9d1552b04c7e&pddocfullpath=/shared/document/news/urn:contentItem:5P3W-KJY1-JBSS-S2G0-00000-00&pdcontentcomponentid=385157&pdteaserkey=sr5&pditab=allpods&ecomp=pp79k&earg=sr5&prid=a954a7e6-71be-4a51-a45f-45bf7926ccc2.