71: Gays in the Military 1993 - Sam Nunn

As part of his campaign for election in 1992 Bill Clinton had promised to overturn the ban on homosexuals in the US military. In late January 1993, barely a week after Clinton took office, Democrat Senator Sam Nunn, the head of the Armed Services Committee, started making oppositional statements. The military had already made comments about homosexuals undermining morale and fitness to serve, and Nunn backed them up. Nunn also pointed out that Clinton could not merely sign it through if Congress opposed it. Clinton agreed to wait for 6 months of investigation before coming to a decision. Gays in the Military was one of the first major conflicts in attempting to implement Clinton’s new vision of America, alongside reform of the Health service and much else.