tig brief - Air Force Inspection Agency

IG Bits & Pieces
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
As I was going through my Don’t Ask,
Don’t Tell repeal Tier I, II, and III
training, a few of us were discussing
the impact of this change during a break.
Someone wondered aloud “will this change in
policy result in more Inspector General (IG)
complaints, do you think?” and “are you ready
for your first IG complaint involving sexual
orientation?”
No and yes, I think, respectively. I don’t
think IG complaints
I will actively listen to the
complainant allowing them to
describe the wrongdoing
will increase as a
result of this policy
change, at least not
initially. One reason
is, sadly, I don’t believe
that gay Airmen
will automatically turn on a switch to trust
“the system” right away enough to bring
any complaints that involve this kind of
discrimination to light. My sense is that it’s
going to take time for gay Airmen who have been
told up to now that they can be gay as long as
they don’t act gay to submit complaints about
repercussions from them acting gay. Don’t Ask,
Don’t Tell has been part of the military since
1993, so for the past eighteen years, gay Airmen
have known that to identify themselves as gay
could quite possibly bring discharge. I just don’t
think gay Airmen are going to start trusting the
IG complaint system that quickly. I hope they’ll
give the IGs the opportunity to demonstrate our
core values and show that we are there to search
for and identify the truth behind any complaint,
no matter where that search for the truth may
lead us. And not only IG staff members need
to demonstrate this; commanders, supervisors,
first sergeants, and EEO staff need to show they
are capable of dealing successfully with sexual
orientation discrimination complaints so that
gay Airmen have confidence in bringing this type
of complaint to light.
Another reason I don’t believe a change in
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell will increase IG complaints
is because of the children who are involved.
While exact numbers are hard to come by, the
2000 U.S. Census Bureau data indicates that
18 Summer 2011
Lt. Col. Blair Webster
ANG, 107 HQ/IG
Keesler AFB
less than 1 percent of children in the U.S. are
being raised in gay households. There aren’t
as many children involved in gay relationships
as there are in straight relationships, and I’ve
noticed children can be a source of conflict that
spills over into official IG complaints. When
military members get involved in relationships
that produce children, and those military
member parents are not married to each other,
sometimes this causes situations that trigger
people to make work-
related IG complaints.
I’ve handled complaints
about dependent care
plans, felony assault,
and perceived hiring
discrimination, where
the root cause of the complaint was a dispute
over the raising of a child when the parents are
not married to each other. I don’t foresee that
situation increasing with the repeal of Don’t Ask,
Don’t Tell.
Whether or not there will be more
complaints, I am ready for my first complaint
brought on by a change to the Don’t Ask, Don’t
Tell policy. First it’s going to take active listening
to the complainant to allow them to describe the
wrongdoing. Then, I’m going to ask them some
questions, for example:
• What, specifically, is the AFI, law, or
guideline they believe is being violated?
• What would they like to see done about their
situation? If I had that big “make everything
better,” magic wand, what would they like
me to do?
• Have they talked to their chain of command
about their concern, and if not, why not?
Then, after discussing the issue with the
complainant, I’ll attempt to verify the truth
surrounding their complaint and let the facts of
the case lead me to the appropriate response.
This is the way I handle all complaints, and I’ll
handle those generated by the repeal of Don’t
Ask, Don’t Tell the same way, should those
complaints come my way.