"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Repealed

Gay and lesbian service members will be allowed to serve openly in the U.S. military now that the "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" policy has been repealed.

Many civil rights advocates consider the repeal of "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" to be a significant civil rights achievement in the armed services, following the end of racial segregation in the military in the 1950s and the admission of women to military service academies in the 1970s.

"Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" was implemented in 1993 and required military personnel to hide their sexual identity or risk expulsion from the armed services.

"Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" officially ended on September 20, 2011.  That date was 60 days after the military presented President Barack Obama with a formal certification of the military's determination that ending the policy will not hurt troop readiness.  The military made the necessary changes to allow gays to serve openly in the military and presented the formal certification on July 22, 2011.  The long-standing ban on gays in the military was lifted 60 days from that certification date, as required by the law signed by President Obama in December 2010.

Discharged gay and lesbian service members can seek to re-enlist now that the policy has been repealed.