Providing Blueprints for Sound Public Policy

Rigorous studies sponsored and distributed by the Michael D. Palm Center help the public understand why the Don't ask, don't tell policy (DADT) is harmful and misguided.

During July 2008 Congressional hearings on gays in the military, a number of Representatives emphasized the importance of basing any policy change on data and social scientific research, not just anecdotes and opinions. At the Palm Center, providing such data is our number one job. We conduct state-of-the-art research using rigorous, proven social science methodologies. That's why our studies have been published by the best peer-review journals in the field. 
 
Our study of Israel's successful integration of gays and lesbians was published by Armed Forces and Society, the journal of the premiere academic society of civil-military relations scholars. Our study of privacy in military showers was published by International Security, which is edited at Harvard University. Our study of Britain's successful integration of gays and lesbians was published by Parameters, the official journal of the Army War College. And our study of how the closet undermines gay soldiers' ability to do their jobs was published by Military Psychology, the leading journal among Pentagon mental health professionals. 
 
Research is important. But not if it is ignored. Not if it sits on a library shelf. That's why we design media campaigns to distribute our research aggressively. As a result of our successful media outreach, the Advocate named us as one of the top LGBT-rights groups in the country using cutting-edge strategies to make social change. What do those strategies look like? 
 
In November 2002, we first broke the story of Arabic linguists fired for being gay in the New Republic. Since that time, the Arabic-linguist firings have saturated public consciousness as a paradigmatic example of the stakes of "don't ask, don't tell." Subsequently, we placed a front page New York Times article about our study which showed that Britain had not suffered any problems in lifting its ban. Then, we got an ABC Good Morning America segment (5 million viewers) on our study of gays and lesbians who served openly in Iraq. More recently, we generated international headlines about an obscure Pentagon regulation we found which, three decades after the American Psychological Association stopped classifying homosexuality as a mental illness, was still referring to gays and lesbians as mentally ill. Last year, the New York Times op-ed page covered a Zogby poll of U.S. troops which we designed and financed, and which found that only 8 percent are very uncomfortable around gays. And last month, we generated 1,500 media hits for a study we released in which four retired Generals and Admirals studied all the evidence about "don't ask, don't tell" and concluded that the policy is harming the military. 
 
We report all the evidence we find, whether it supports "don't ask, don't tell." That's why the late Charles Moskos, the author of the gay ban, said on record that the Palm Center's research is based on the highest integrity. And that's why journalists, politicians, and members of Congress trust our findings. Research produced by the Palm Center indicates that the "don't ask, don't tell" policy hurts the military. The policy is likely detrimental to the well-being of troops and the overall reputation of the military. By continuing to conduct research on this issue, the Palm Center hopes to bring verifiable facts to the public that can serve as blueprints for sound public policy.