Soc 110 Sociology in a Global Perspective
Module 4 Assignment 2
Professor Sandra Cook
Application Project Four: Watch a police drama on television. Include the following observations in the essay:
÷ What crime(s) is being committed?
÷ Identify the cultural norm(s) being violated.
÷ Who has the power to label the behavior as deviant?
I watched Boston Legal which is a show about a law firm in Boston, Massachusetts. This firm usually takes on very difficult cases that deal with various social issues we face in our country. This episode dealt with "Don't Ask Don't Tell" which is military policy on how to deal with the issue of homosexuality in the service. The firm's client, a highly decorated officer with over thirty years of service wanted to bring suit against the U.S. Army for attempting to discharge him because he was a homosexual.
This mans crime according to the U.S.
Baltimore City Veterans Day Celebration
Baltimore City Veterans Day Celebration
General John Shalikashvili.military was that he made it public that he was gay. Their defense stemmed from the 1993 National Defense Authorization Act, which contains the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy. This policy bans any homosexuals from even hinting towards a gay life style without repercussion from the service they serve in. As long as a homosexual soldier does not let anyone know about his/her sexual identity they will be able to serve our country and it also states that without knowledge commanding officers could not question service people about their sexuality. The military claims that knowledge of homosexuality will bring down morale and will hinder the cohesion needed to serve as a unit.
As of 2005 over 11,000 members of the military have been discharged because of being homosexuals and the daily average since is two soldiers per day. There are an estimated 65,000 homosexuals serving in...