ABSTRACT
Across more than two centuries, U.S. military policy and treatment toward sexual minorities reflected fears and misunderstanding about the place of gay and transgender people in American life. Open gays and lesbians, as well as transgender people, were prohibited from U.S. military. These policies were bolstered by the belief that gay and transgender people suffered from mental illness, were antisocial and would not conform to popular norms of behavior, and may require extra care and this spurred many to view them as a threat to the cohesion and effectiveness of the military. This entry describes past and existing policies and attitudes toward gay and transgender military members, including the origins of restrictive policies, changing understandings of sexual minorities, U.S. military policy during wartime, and the removal of restrictions against sexual minorities in uniform.
