Policy History & Impact
It is estimated that 114,000 service members have been discharged for homosexual conduct or sexual orientation between 1940 and 2011. These discharges can be traced back to the military's long history of banning homosexual conduct, which began with earlier regulations starting in 1916, when sodomy was first criminalized in military law. The DADT policy built upon this legacy, making it official military policy to discharge service members for being LGBTQIA+. More than 14,000 service members were directly impacted by DADT and these discharges cost the United States Military Millions.
The Cost
The Government Accountability Office found that the cost of discharging and replacing service members because of their sexual orientation totaled almost $200 million during the policy's first ten years. This does not account for the experience of the personnel that had been discharged or what it costs to upgrade discharges under these policies. The financial burden of DADT is staggering, but the personal cost has been even more profound. Many service members who were discharged for their sexual orientation were given less-than-honorable discharges, which have denied them critical veterans' benefits—benefits that should be theirs by right.
It is crucial that we tell these stories now—
not only to honor those who served but to ensure their experiences are recognized and remembered. These veterans endured profound sacrifices—sacrifices that are largely unknown to the public—and continue to face the consequences of a policy that aimed to silence them. The Road Through “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” aims to preserve their stories, ensuring their voices are heard and their struggles acknowledged. This documentary is more than a history lesson; it is an opportunity for reflection, healing, and advocacy for those who have been long overlooked.