Pete Hegseth a former Fox News host and President-elect Donald Trumps pick for secretary of defense believes said out LGBTQ+ soldiers erode the U.S militarys effectiveness in a recently un-earthed 2015 Fox News clip. He also believes that women in the military shouldnt serve in combat roles, though he has tried to downplay those views to help his chance of winning Senate confirmation. What youre seeing is a military right now that is more interested in social engineering led by this president than they are in war fighting. So, as a result, through Dont Ask Dont Tell [DADT] and women in the military and these standards, theyre going to inevitably start to erode standards because they want that one female special operator, that one female Green Beret, that one female Army Ranger, that one female Navy Seal, so they can put them on a recruiting poster and feel good about themselves and has nothing to do with national security, Hegseth told Fox News, according to Joe.My.God. Related Trump nominee accused of disturbing misconduct by colleagues & his own mother Pete Hegseths mother did not mince words. Hegseth made his comment nearly five years after the repeal of DADT, a law that banned gay and bi people from serving openly in the military. Stay connected to your community Connect with the issues and events that impact your community at home and beyond by subscribing to our newsletter. Subscribe to our Newsletter today While DADT was instituted in 1992 by President Bill Clinton as a compromise to let LGB people serve in the military as their authentic selves, it more than doubled the number of LGB people dishonorably discharged from the military. It also led to LGB servicemembers having to lie and stay closeted while they risked being blackmailed, interrogated, and threatened with violence from fellow servicemembers. It was repealed in December 2010.These days, an estimated 6.1%of current military personnel identify as LGBTQ+, according to a 2022 study, a percentage that accounts for approximately 126,827 current servicemembers. If Hegseth is confirmed by the Senate, he will be partially responsible for re-instating Trumps ban on out trans military service members, a policy that could result in the discharge of anywhere from 2,150 to 10,790 trans military members.Hegseth also thinks women make the military less effective and less lethal, according to his comment in a November 7 installment of The Shawn Ryan Show podcast. He tried to backtrack his views against female soldiers, however, in a recent episode of the Fox News talk program Hannity.Some of our greatest warriors, our best warriors out there are women who serve, raise their right hand to defend this country and love our nation, want to defend that flag, and they do it every single day around the globe,Hegseth said, adding, I look forward to being a secretary for all our warriors, men and women, for the amazing contributions they make in our military. Hegseths views against LGBTQ+ soldiers shouldnt be surprising seeing as he spent his college days at Princeton campaigning against LGBTQ+ rights.As publisher of the conservative magazineThe Princeton Toryin the early 2000s, he oversaw a team that railed against the homosexual lifestyle, andin one 2002 issue, argued that The movement to legitimize the homosexual lifestyle and homosexual marriages is strong and must be vigorously opposed their lifestyle deserves absolutely no special legal status.In that same issue, Hegseth wrote in his Notes from the Publisher that the glorification of diversity is a problem that plagues most of American academia today. He said Western ideas deserve priority over other areas of study because the fact that the United States is a global superpower demonstrates the[ir] enduring strength. AnotherslammedtheNew York Timesfor its decision to start covering same-sex marriage announcements, calling it dangerous because it could inspire people to want to marry siblings, children, or dogs.The October 2002 issue criticized LGBTQ+ rights protests,declaring thatboys can wear bras and girls can wear ties until were blue in the face, but it wont change the reality that the homosexual lifestyle is abnormal and immoral.A 2021 report commissioned by the heads of the U.S. military found thatallowing LGB soldiers to serve while out had no negative impacton military readiness, effectiveness, or unit cohesion, despite worries to the contrary. Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.