The reign of “don’t ask don’t tell” has finally ended on Sept. 20, 2011.
More than 14,500 lesbian and gay military personnel have been dismissed under the law since it passed Congress in 1993. The act required service members who disclose that they are homosexual or engage in homosexual conduct to be discharged, unless it was “for the purpose of avoiding or terminating military service.”
The bill to repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell passed the House in May 2010 but was filibustered in the Senate and ultimately passed in December, when President Obama signed it into law. Final implementation comes after the Pentagon formally certified that the repeal would not negatively affect military readiness.
