Don't Ask, Don't Tell is no more

On September 20th, 2011 the policy of Don't Ask, Don't Tell was terminated. Congress passed a repeal of the ban in 2010 however, President Obama had deferred its implementation until military leaders gave their approval. Now, the 18 year ban that forbade gay individuals to serve openly in the U.S. Military, is no longer.

One of the most notable figures partaking in the opposition of DADT is Lt. Dan Choi. I have posted about Lt. Choi several times on this blog and I have signed letters to congress asking them to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

Lt. Choi is a Iraq War Veteran and Infantry officer discharged for choosing to live his life as an openly gay man.

Below is footage from Democracy Now! which features Lt. Choi and others speaking about the ban and how it has affected us all.



In the above footage actor, writer, editor, filmmaker and activist, Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore made the very good point that the military is a destructive animal that often causes more harm than good. I agree with Sycamore however, I am still in favor of the demolition of DADT.

To my knowledge during the fight of DADT, there weren't any activists who promoted the repeal of DADT while simultaneously speaking about the ills of the military. If I'm wrong feel free to correct me as I'd certainly like to learn more about such activists.

Some might view a simultaneous discussion counter-productive however, if you are speaking about DADT and you oppose war and military tactic, this would be the only authentic way to move forward. Doing this may not have distracted the public from focusing solely on DADT rather than other gay rights issues however, it would have been a way of acknowledging that one should never have to legally deny who they are.

All and all I find the repeal a victory.