Black women in the military disproportionately were discriminated against as part of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy. The study from the Service Women’s Action Network (SWAN) found that the number of military personnel discharged as a result of DADT were disproportionately women, Blacks, Latinos and Asians. In 2008, Black women totaled less than 1 percent of service members but represented 3.3 percent of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell discharges; women totaled only 15 percent of service members but 34 percent of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell discharges.
The findings resonate with recent news of a class-action lawsuit ruling, in Collins v. United States, that requires the Pentagon to reimburse $2.5 million in severance pay to the 181 gay and lesbian service members who had been targeted and discharged under the policy. The regulation dictated that all service members who were forced to leave military service because of their orientation were penalized half of their allotted severance pay—leaving them just $14,000 each. Normally, discharged military members would receive $28,000 in compensation.
Under terms of the settlement of the lawsuit, which was brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Service Members Legal Defense Network (SLDN), the government will award $14,000 to each plaintiff who was involuntarily dismissed, both honorably and dishonorably, because of DADT.
