Word: gay
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...surprisingly, supporters of ROTC have been met with passionate resistance, predominantly from the gay rights community. While ROTC was originally ejected from Harvard due to its association with an unpopular war, progressive activists now want to bar its return on the grounds that it is a discriminatory organization. The source of this charge is the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy--approved by Congress--that precludes openly gay individuals from serving in the armed forces...
Whether "don't ask, don't tell" is, in fact, discriminatory is a matter for debate. Gays are not prohibited from participating in ROTC per se. They are merely forbidden from openly proclaiming their homosexuality or engaging in homosexual activity. Many would argue that, by denying homosexuals the right to express their fundamental identity, this policy constitutes a de facto interdiction against gays because they are gay. But on surface it must be acknowledged that "don't ask, don't tell" is merely a behavioral regulation--one of many in the military that govern the sexuality of all servicemen...
Also informing the question of what constitutes unacceptable discrimination is the issue of bona fide occupational qualifications. Current law permits discrimination in hiring practices so long as the basis for that discrimination can be tied to some essential job function. So, is being openly gay a legitimate impediment to successful military service? Most Harvard students would presume not, but both officers and scholars of military affairs have made an interesting case that it does. For instance, they argue that the sexual tension that would result from the presence of openly gay soldiers would constitute an unacceptable threat to unit cohesion...
...welcome ROTC back on campus?" asked council member and panelist Alex A. Boni-Saenz '01, citing recorded cases of discrimination against gay soldiers and a rising number of soldiers being discharged in the aftermath of the policy's promulgation...
...David A. Campbell '00, a former member of the Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Transgender and Supporters Alliance, said that for a school like Harvard, which prides itself on selecting an elite student body, to ban student groups controlling their membership is hypocrisy...