HomeOPINION"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Law Repealed after Eighteen Years

“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Law Repealed after Eighteen Years

By ASIA EWART
Identity

The “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law was officially repealed from the United States Armed Forces this past Tuesday, September 20, 2011. Now only a memory, homosexual service members no longer have to fear rejection for recruitment or being discharged on those grounds.

“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” first took effect in 1993; the subject of homosexuality was not even discussed in the service. Officials did not question their officers’ sexuality, but gays were not allowed to enlist, and those already in the service had to be discharged.

According to a recent online article for the Cronkite News in Arizona, “more than 14,500 military personnel have been discharged since the law took effect.” In 2010, Congress agreed to appeal the law, and the action finally went through on Tuesday.

After eighteen years of pressed lips and withheld secrets, servicemen can now state their sexuality without fear of being relieved of their positions. While public displays of affection still are prohibited, being able to show who they truly are is a step in the right direction for our officers.

So where do we all go from here? Navy Lieutenant Gary Ross and his partner Dan Swezy decided to get married, making them the first Armed Forces couple to be married since the repeal. Servicemen can now serve the country they are proud of, while being proud of whom they are at the same time. This is only another step in the continuing journey for widespread acceptance of the gay community.

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