Editing Openai/68b20b12-cee0-8000-91bc-9ae1e0186d28 (section)

=== User: The Farrell vs. ===
The Farrell vs. DoD case centered on the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy.

Before 1993, it was outright illegal for homosexuals to serve in the military. Under DADT (1993–2011), service members were technically allowed to serve—but only under a forced silence. They were “welcomed” so long as they did not disclose their orientation. This distinction matters: under DADT, harassment, discrimination, and assault from heterosexual soldiers were rampant, and there were no safe outlets to report abuse.

The numbers also tell a story. Officially, 13,375 service members were discharged under DADT. But this case was stretched back to 1980, inflating the figure to over 35,000. Furthermore, there were attempts to conflate DADT discharges with cases involving transgender individuals who falsified information on applications—a federal offense at the time. This blurs an important fact: between 1993 and 2011, transgender individuals were still classified under “mental disorder” standards, while homosexual service members were uniquely targeted under DADT.

The real difference is this: before 1993, homosexuals were simply not allowed in the military at all. Under DADT, they were permitted to serve, but only under a policy of silence—stripped of protections, left vulnerable to abuse, and denied the very equality their service deserved.

Can you strengthen this?