• Shane McNeil deposited APA Amicus Briefs on Gays in the Military on Humanities Commons 4 years, 7 months ago

    In 1988 and 1989, the American Psychological Association (APA) submitted two nearly identical amicus briefs in the cases of Watkins v. United States Army and BenShalom v. Marsh. Both cases dealt with whether the U.S. Army may constitutionally require the discharge or deny reenlistment to any service member who declares him/herself to have a homosexual orientation (American Psychological Association, 1988; American Psychological Association, 1989). Although the US Department of Defense policies against homosexuals serving in the military were not repealed until 2011 (Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act of 2010, 2011), the APA never submitted another amicus brief on the topic. What reasoning could the APA have had for failing to address this contentious but highly researched issue during the intermediate years?