About Us

Palm Center

A University of California Research Center

The Palm Center is a part of the Williams Institute at the University of California Los Angeles, School of Law. The Palm Center is a distinct center under the auspices of Williams and maintains independent leadership.

Prior to becoming a part of the Williams Institute in 2011,the Palm Center was one of fourteen official research centers at The Institute for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Research (ISBER), University of California, Santa Barbara.

Featured Publication

A More Perfect Military

Why are politicians so reluctant to question the military? Why do the President, Congress and Courts so often defer to the military's preferences...

Palm Center Blog

	Jeremy Johnson
	July 19, 2011

Toes In The Water: Testing Transition During the Recent Ban on Enforcement of DADT

Jeremy Johnson is a member of the Palm Center staff and recently used the lifting of the stay issued by the Ninth Circuit court (July 6-July 15) to continue his attempt to reenlist after receiving an Honorable discharge under DADT in 2007. These are his observations.

Myths and Facts

What Does the Empirical Research Say about the Impact of Openly Gay Service on the Military?

Research on openly gay service is extensive, and includes over half a century of evidence gathered by independent researchers and the U.S. military itself, as well as the study of the experience of foreign militaries. The U.S. military’s own researchers have consistently found that openly gay service does not undermine cohesion, and the military has repeatedly sought to condemn or suppress these conclusions when they emerged. Yet no research has ever shown that open homosexuality impairs military readiness.