US lawmakers repealed the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ legislation last month, ending a 17-year ban on gay military personnel coming out to the Defence Forces.
The Senate remained the final hurdle for gay advocates but senators overturned the legislation, voting 65-31 against DADT on December 18.
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force executive director Rea Carey said the repeal was a ‘tremendous victory’.
‘We thank all those who fought for and supported an end to the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy, they truly are on the right side of history,’ Carey said.
‘Seventeen years of witch hunts under this policy have cost thousands of exemplary service members their careers, once again proving there are very personal and costly consequences of discrimination.
‘Our entire country benefits when fairness prevails, when qualified and patriotic service members no longer have to fear being targeted by their own government’
According to BBC, former US President Bill Clinton introduced the legislation back in 1993 as a compromise.
Since then, the DADT legislation has been used to dismiss over 13,000 service members.
U.S President Barack Obama signed the new legislation on December 22 and advised dismissed service members to re-enlist.
‘By ending ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ no longer will our nation be denied the service of thousands of patriotic Americans forced to leave the military, despite years of exemplary performance, because they happen to be gay,’ Obama said in a statement.
‘And no longer will many thousands more be asked to live a lie in order to serve the country they love.’
Benn Dorrington
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