Military and LGBTQ People

This entry describes the current and past policies of the United States military toward LGBTQ individuals. Effective September 2011, the United States military now allows lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer (LGBQ) individuals to serve openly, with equal pay and opportunity for promotion and access to benefits; this change, however, was preceded by decades of shifting arguments and policies that previously restricted the full participation of LGBTQ individuals. Here, we focus on the following issues connected to LGBQ individuals and the military: the policies that previously determined their suitability for service; arguments for inclusion and exclusion; the impact of current policies on LGBQ service members; and transgender people in the military. Although LGBQ and transgender individuals often are grouped together, their acceptance and integration in the ...