Following the July 1999 murder of Army Pfc. Barry Winchell , apparently motivated by anti-gay bias , President Clinton issued an executive order modifying the Uniform Code of Military Justice to permit evidence of a hate crime to be admitted during the sentencing phase of a trial . In December , Secretary of Defense William Cohen ordered a review of DADT to determine if the policy 's anti-gay harassment component was being observed . When that review found anti-gay sentiments were widely expressed and tolerated in the military , the DOD adopted a new anti-harassment policy in July 2000 , though its effectiveness was disputed . On December 7 , 1999 , Hillary Clinton told an audience of gay supporters that " Gays and lesbians already serve with distinction in our nation 's armed forces and should not face discrimination . Fitness to serve should be based on an individual 's conduct , not their sexual orientation . " Later that month , retired Gen. Carl E. Mundy defended the implementation of DADT against what he called the " politicization " of the issue by both Clintons . He cited discharge statistics for the Marines for the past 5 years that showed 75 % were based on " voluntary admission of homosexuality " and 49 % occurred during the first 6 months of service , when new recruits were most likely to reevaluate their decision to enlist . He also argued against any change in the policy , writing in the '' New York Times '' : " Conduct that is widely rejected by a majority of Americans can undermine the trust that is essential to creating and maintaining the sense of unity that is critical to the success of a military organization operating under the very different and difficult demands of combat . " The conviction of Winchell 's murderer , according to the '' New York Times '' , " galvanized opposition " to DADT , an issue that had " largely vanished from public debate " . Opponents of the policy focused on punishing harassment in the military rather than the policy itself , which Sen. Chuck Hagel defended on December 25 : " The U.S. armed forces are n't some social experiment . " The principal candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2000 , Al Gore and Bill Bradley , both endorsed military service by open gays and lesbians , provoking opposition from high-ranking retired military officers , notably the recently retired commandant of the Marine Corps , Gen. Charles C. Krulak . He and others objected to Gore 's statement that he would use support for ending DADT as a " litmus test " when considering candidates for the Joint Chiefs of Staff . The 2000 Democratic Party platform was silent on the issue , while the Republican Party platform that year said : " We affirm that homosexuality is incompatible with military service . " Following the election of George W. Bush in 2000 , observers expected him to avoid any changes to DADT , since his nominee for Secretary of State Colin Powell had participated in its creation . In February 2004 members of the British Armed Forces , Lt Rolf Kurth and Lt Cdr Craig Jones along with Aaron Belkin , Director of the Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military met with members of Congress and spoke at the National Defense University . They spoke about their experience of the current situation in the UK . The UK lifted the gay ban on members serving in their forces in 2000
Republican Party
2000 Republican National Convention
Don't ask, don't tell