"The End of Don't Ask Don't Tell: A Few More Steps Left" -- A Time Magazine Article

The Senate successfully repealed the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” law, prohibiting openly gay and lesbian men and women from serving in the American military. “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” was enacted on the belief that allowing homosexuals to serve would jeopardize the cohesion of those serving, ultimately weakening America’s defenses. Many opponents of the law believe this to be untrue, and have adamantly pushed for its repeal, including President Obama, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, and chairman of the Joint Chief, Mike Mullen.
While the Senate has voted to repeal it, allowing equality in the military, it has not been fully repealed yet, requiring a letter from Obama, Gates, and Mullen confirming that the military is prepared to for its gays and lesbians to come out. Once this letter has been received by both the House and Senate, it will take an additional sixty days.
In the meantime, many service men and women are waiting to officially come out. However, “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” has not been enforced since October of this year, due to the ruling of U.S. District Court judge, Virginia Phillips stating that it “irreparably injures service members by infringing on their fundamental rights”.
To read more about “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”, its repeal and the reactions of servicemen men and women and U.S. Congress members, click here: http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,2037943,00.html.