THE ASK & TELL PROJECT aims to build a community for LGBTQ military veterans and servicemembers where they can share their stories and make connections through 21st-century media.
Don’t Ask Don’t Tell was a harmful military policy that forced LGBTQ servicemembers to mask their true identities and military experiences. The repeal of the policy in 2011 and the lift of the ban on transgender service in 2016 were certainly steps in the right direction; however, the reinstatement of the ban in 2017 is cause for alarm, and equality for the LGBTQ community within the military and society-at-large is still far from adequate.
In the wake of the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell repeal, it was estimated that more than 1,000,000 veterans and 100,000 servicemembers identified as LGBTQ. Those numbers have only grown. As a leader in global security, the U.S. military has a responsibility to also act as a leader in policy and culture. Founded and run by those who have served and continue to serve America with fervor and dedication, THE ASK & TELL PROJECT works not to weaken the U.S. military, but to strengthen it. By ensuring that the large and growing LGBTQ community can enjoy equal treatment and opportunity with no fear of mistreatment or career harm, the U.S. military will be able to grow in both size and efficacy.
THE ASK & TELL PROJECT offers a space for former and current LGBTQ servicemembers to share their memories, beliefs, fears, and optimism through video, photo, and the written-word across @askandtell social media channels and askandtell.com – allowing for unprecedented openness and connectedness in an otherwise closed-off culture. THE ASK & TELL PROJECT will lead conversations with original content and facilitate relationship-building and offer support on and offline. The LGBTQ military community and its allies will thus be able to, at critical mass, push for big changes within the military, including having the ban on transgender service lifted once again.
Join the movement - ASK & TELL™ so we can all help create a more inclusive military culture.
