End of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Means Equality for Gays in the Military

Almost two decades after the military policy that bans homosexuals
from openly serving in the armed forces went into effect, "don't ask, don't tell" become a thing of the past yesterday.

The 18-year ban on openly gay troops was officially repealed at
midnight. The change was set in motion in December, when President Obama signed the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act, which he said would enhance the quality of the military.

"As of today, patriotic Americans in uniform will no longer have to lie about who they are in order to serve the country they love," Obama said in a statement Tuesday morning.

Kate Kendell, executive director of the National Center for
Lesbian Rights, said that although there is more work to be done to ensure full equality, the end of the ban should be hailed.

"Today is not just the end of 'don't ask, don't tell,' it is the
beginning of a new era in which government policies that discriminate based on sexual orientation and gender identity are rightly seen as shameful and outmoded," Kendell said in a statement.

Before the repeal could go into effect, Obama, the Secretary of
Defense and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff had to certify that ending the policy would not hinder the troops.

Bay City News