Recently the United States and countries in Europe moved toward the right end of the political spectrum. This shift has been primarily influenced by the global economic downturn, but this swing to the right varies on each end of the Atlantic.
The military enacted the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy (DADT) in 1993. The policy forbids openly gay and lesbian Americans from serving in the U.S. Armed Services, but does not allow the military to require soldiers to declare their sexual orientation. However, controversy has arisen from soldiers’ orientations being investigated if superiors suspect they are gay or lesbian. There have been several attempts to repeal this policy, but so far all have failed.