The Rise of Repeal: Policy Entrepreneurship and Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Abstract

We report on policy entrepreneurship by Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) and how its legislative strategies used mini-windows of opportunity to shift Capitol Hill perspectives of Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT) from political plutonium to an emerging issue requiring a second look. Four phases in the legislative history of DADT are identified: radioactive, contested, emerging, and viable. In all, this article argues that SLDN's entrepreneurship focused on contesting congressional sensibilities to wait or defer on repeal, maintained that every discharge was damaging and transitioned toward a post-repeal mind set. Finally, we illustrate the importance of these transitions by comparing SLDN's 2004 estimated vote count for the introduction of the Military Readiness Enhancement Act with the final 2010 voting results on the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act.

Keywords:

• Don't Ask
• Don't Tell
• agenda setting
• policy entrepreneur
• gay rights

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the University of Sydney Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and the Faculty of Science as well as several individuals for their leadership and support, including: Aaron Belkin, Denise Riordan, Dixon Osburn, Sharra Greer, Kathi Westcott, Jeff Cleghorn, Sharon Alexander-Debbage, Alec Papazian, and Nathaniel Frank. Special thanks to Megan Mackenzie and the reviewers for their comments on previous versions.

Notes

1. The authors wish to highlight that the use of the term “gay” is intended to reflect all members of the LGBTQI community, including lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer-identified individuals.

2. This research is based on participant-observation and supporting documentation. Data for this analysis relies on publicly available sources, work documents, personal communications, and firsthand meetings. The limitations of confirming firsthand knowledge are supported by independent sources where possible, including organizational memorandum, newspaper reports, and the Congressional Record. The vote count document was prepared with assistance from SLDN interns. It was determined through a review of previous congressional votes and any additional information from meetings with offices.