The real consequences of DADT

DADT doesn’t just mean you can’t disclose your sexual orientation at work. It means you can’t disclose it to anyone at any time, ever.

Even if Karen and Jennifer never told a single person about their sexual orientation, they would have been in violation of DADT simply for registering as domestic partners and for attempting to protect Karen’s relationship with their children. DADT explicitly forbids marriage or “attempted marriage” to someone of the same sex. Whether a superior officer ever discovers the fact and initiates discharge proceedings is left to the whim of any acquaintance, stranger or enemy who comes across that information and passes it along. This past spring, the Air Force discharged Jene Newsome, a sergeant stationed in South Dakota. The grounds? Police officers had spotted an Iowa marriage certificate on her kitchen table through a window while investigating Newsome’s partner. They reported it to her superior officers, and she was tossed out.