Back in 1993, when Tom Hanks won an Academy Award for portraying a homosexual in Philadelphia, Colin Powell designed Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. For fifteen years, this policy has dictated that soldiers cannot display sexualities other than heterosexual in any way. If their non-heterosexual orientations are vocalized or displayed, they are dishonorably discharged, as has been the case for more than ten thousand soldiers.

Before I get into the logistics of why DADT has failed, it is important to know that many see this as an atrocity to America’s “principles” of non-discrimination. The policy states concisely that any inclination toward homosexual behavior “would create an unacceptable risk to the high standards of morale, good order and discipline, and unit cohesion that are the essence of military capability.”

This proves that, as many have argued, DADT is not about homosexuality. Rather, this policy seems to reflect the homophobia that has plagued America since the pilgrims plowed into Plymouth rock. American society has created a nation of people who are fearful of those who are – gasp – not attracted to members of the opposite sex!

According to certain estimates, which are debated, the current U.S. Army has approximately 6.5 percent soldiers who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. That means there are currently 65,000 closeted, non-heterosexual soldiers.

But tell me, what kind of soldiers are those whose discipline can be so easily compromised by simply knowing that their bunkmate is a homosexual? Are these noble men and women really qualified to protect our country if something as trivial as sexual orientation will impede upon their duties?

Unlike the Clinton Administration, I have faith that our soldiers can see past sexual orientation. In fact, it’s ridiculous that these questions ever had to be asked in the first place. Let’s all take a moment to thank Mr. Powell for not only insulting queer people everywhere, but American soldiers, too.

Now if I still don’t have you convinced, it’s probably because you wallow in jealousy when your parents talk about the glory of the Reagan era.

But don’t worry, DADT, like every issue in American politics, is multifaceted. While the former part of this article was an attempt to appeal to moral principles generally reserved for liberals, this next part is my attempt at appealing to conservative readers by listing a series of statistics and hard facts.

OK, you Reaganites, lets talk cold hard cash. $363 million dollars, according to Rep. Martin Meehan of Massachusetts, is how much the government has spent to enforce this policy. That’s all taxpayers’ dollars contributing to discrimination. Additionally, of these approximate 10,000 discharged troops, dozens were Arab linguists. Meaning the army has gotten rid of some of their most valuable assets (translators, that is) while involved in several wars in the Middle East. This policy costs the U.S. army crucial intelligence that could be used to prevent terrorism.

Adding to the systemic costs of constant investigations are the recruits that need to be trained in order to replace a discharged soldiers. With this fact in mind, the $363 million cost figure is likely an understatement. Finally, many of these 10,000 non-heterosexual troops were discharged before the Iraq war. Since the war began, the standards for IQ, criminal record and drug testing were dropped. Therefore, soldiers of significantly lesser quality are replacing those discharged under DADT. FOX News, eat your heart out.

Another worthwhile issue regarding DADT is “lesbian baiting.” While this sounds like it should be the name of some girl-on-girl porn site, it is actually a sexist atrocity in which male soldiers solicit sex from female soldiers.

If the woman rejects his advances, the man will accuse this woman of being a homosexual. But, even worse, many women will submit to these demands in order to prevent discharge. With lesbian baiting, the male-dominated military is even more prone to harassment and sexism. The feminist in you should be getting awfully militant right about now.

Don’t Ask Don’t tell is both an issue of morality and practicality. This sort of discrimination in America should not be tolerated, especially while the quantity and quality of our troops overseas are diminishing. It’s about having faith that our troops – our role models – are good enough men and women who can see past sexuality in order to protect America’s ever-evolving senses for freedom and equality. But, most importantly, if DADT is repealed, many American soldiers will be able to say they are happy. And by happy, I mean gay.

Scott is a sophomore in political science and is tired of hearing, “So what do you plan on doing with that?”