MISSION POSSIBLE

A debut nonfiction book chronicles the repeal of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.

For nearly two decades, it was the policy of the United States military not to discriminate against closeted LGBTQ+ members even as it continued to prohibit openly LGBTQ+ members from serving. The same year that the rule went into effect—1993—Osburn co-founded the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network to spearhead its repeal. “The repeal of ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’ in December 2010 marks one of the most significant civil rights achievements of our generation,” writes the author. “It was the first time that Congress had passed legislation embracing equality for lesbian, gay, and bisexual Americans.” This book is a firsthand account of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” era, one that saw the discharge of thousands of qualified, patriotic military personnel for their sexual orientation. It is also the story of the movement that rose in opposition to that policy, shifting public opinion in a relatively short time and paving the way for future victories for LGBTQ+ rights. Using the tales of individual service members as well as his own memories and the SLDN archives, the author reconstructs a detailed portrait of a pivotal moment in the history of the American military—and American culture. Osburn’s prose is crisp and fluid. Here, he describes the tenor of a court-martial for the man who killed Pvt. Barry Winchell for dating a transgender woman: “I arrived at the small courthouse at Fort Campbell for Glover’s court-martial. It was a trailer with low ceilings, fluorescent lights, and fake wood paneling. It was not the sort of marbled hall of justice that spoke gravity and reverence. This felt more like an inconvenience.” Filled with organizing, strategizing, outmaneuvering, and politicking, the story is a surprisingly thrilling one, offering many parallels to social movements in the present day. Even those who think they know the history will likely get caught up in the drama of it. The author demonstrates how much work goes into a single moment, even one that seems inevitable in retrospect. His account is detailed and well researched, and it will likely prove to be the definitive book on the subject.

A well-crafted work on a watershed moment in American culture.