Abstract

Sexual assault in the military is a large concern for the Department of Defense. They recognize it as an important and complex problem that needs to be addressed. In recent years, efforts have been initiated in order to improve the handling of sexual assault cases and data retention. An entirely new program has been created in order to address these cases. Focusing on the occurrence of same-sex assaults heightens the sensitivity of matters. This is due to the precarious and only very recent acceptance of homosexuals in the military. In the past, service members, homosexual or otherwise, may have been concerned with having any connection to homosexual acts. This is because such acts could result in removal from the military. However, in 2011 the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Repeal Act went into effect. This act allowed for the open service of homosexuals in the military. Around this same time period, reports from the Department of Defense indicated a rise in the number of sexual assault reports. This thesis analyzes the affect that policies from the Department of Defense and legislation such as the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Repeal Act have on reports of same-sex sexual assault in the military. Through research, this thesis finds that the enactments of various policies have had a measurable impact on treatment of same-sex sexual assault reports in the military, though not necessarily in the way certain media reports might suggest. This thesis also examines the history concerning homosexual service in the military, in order to provide a picture of the national attitudes towards homosexual service in the military, and why certain groups may blame the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender for this rise in reports.

Notes

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Thesis Completion

2015

Semester

Spring

Advisor

Milon, Abby

Degree

Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

College

College of Health and Public Affairs

Department

Legal Studies

Subjects

Dissertations, Academic -- Health and Public Affairs; Health and Public Affairs -- Dissertations, Academic

Format

PDF

Identifier

CFH0004788

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Document Type

Honors in the Major Thesis

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Included in

Legal Studies Commons

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