It’s Still Not OK to be Gay in the U.S. Military

If you thought that senate’s 65-31 vote in December to repeal ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ officially put an end to the military’s 17-year old ban on openly gay and lesbian troops serving in the U.S. military, you’re wrong – but probably not alone.

The New York Times recently reported that ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ won’t officially end until 60 days after the Department of Defense tells Congress that the military is ready for openly gay soldiers:

“The bill passed by Congress did not actually repeal ‘don’t ask, don’t tell,’ but only created a mechanism for doing so. The policy will not end until 60 days after the president, the secretary of defense and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff certify that the Department of Defense ‘has prepared the necessary policies and regulations’ to carry out the change, and that the shift will not damage the ability of the military to fight or recruit. Until then, the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act of 2010 expressly states that the old policy ‘shall remain in effect.’”

For now, ‘homosexual conduct’ is still a no-no among members of the U.S. military and openly gay troops may still be legally discharged on the basis of their sexuality.