Last Saturday the US Senate voted to repeal the US Military’s discriminatory Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Policy and today in Washington DC, just moments ago, President Barack Obama signed the repeal into law. Altho there are still a few more procedural things that need to happen before DADT is completely gone, President Obama has promised [...]
Last Saturday the US Senate voted to repeal the US Military’s discriminatory Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Policy and today in Washington DC, just moments ago, President Barack Obama signed the repeal into law. Altho there are still a few more procedural things that need to happen before DADT is completely gone, President Obama has promised that the policy will be repealed in practice as quickly as possible.
President Obama signed the landmark repeal of the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy Wednesday morning, handing a major victory to advocates of gay rights and fulfilling a campaign promise to do away with a practice that he has called discriminatory. Casting the repeal in terms of past civil rights struggles, Obama said he was proud to sign a law that “will strengthen our national security and uphold the ideals that our fighting men and women risk their lives to defend.” He added: “No longer will tens of thousands of Americans in uniform be asked to live a lie.” The signing does not immediately implement the repeal but instead begins the process of ending the ban on gays serving openly in the military. The law will not actually change until the Pentagon certifies to Congress that the military has met several conditions, including education and training programs for the troops. “In the coming days, we will begin the process laid out in the law” to implement the repeal, Obama said. Meanwhile, he cautioned, “the old policy remains in place.” But he pledged that all the service chiefs are “committed to implementing this change swiftly and efficiently,” and he vowed, “We are not going to be dragging our feet to get this done” … Once enacted, the law for the first time in U.S. history will guarantee the rights of gay service members to serve openly.
Altho we are still months away from the actual implementation of the repeal, today is a great day in the advancement of civil rights in this country. Very soon, any US citizen who wants to put their life in harm’s way for the protection of our country in the US Armed Forces will be allowed to do so — without discrimination! For all intents and purposes, Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is dead! Long live equal treatment in the US Armed Forces!!!
[Source]
Nikki Reed
Elisha Cuthbert
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