“The result, for supporters at least, was an outpouring of euphoria and relief that some compared to the end of racial segregation in the military in the 1950s, or the admittance of women to the service academies in the 1970s.”  So reported the Tribune Washington Bureau of the historic repeal on September 20 of the so-called “don’t ask, don’t tell” (DADT) law, officially named the “Policy concerning homosexuality in the armed forces” (10 U.S.C. Sec. 654).  The Bureau article tells movingly of airmen, marines and others presently or formerly in the service who can now declare their sexual orientation without risking their livelihoods and careers or who are considering restarting their military careers after being ejected for being gay or lesbian. 

The article explains that while President Obama signed the legislation repealing DADT last December, the repeal did not go into effect until now because of the Pentagon’s stated need to train service members on standards of conduct in relation to the repeal, among other reasons.  The article also reports of remaining barriers to comprehensive civil rights for gays and lesbians such as the Defense of Marriage Act and the fact that gays and lesbians are not recognized as a protected class under federal civil rights laws.