I've prepared a timeline of events concerning Don't Ask, Don't Tell going back to 2006. Some brief facts on the background of DADT, courtesy of Servicemembers' Legal Defense Network.
* Passed by Congress in 1993, DADT is a the nickname for Federal Title 10, Chapter 654, which states that homosexuality is incompatible with military service, and mandates the discharge of openly gay, lesbian, or bisexual service members.
* According to official numbers, over 14,500 active service members have been fired under the law since 1994. However, this number does NOT include personnel discharged from the Reserves or National Guard.
* The numbers of discharges over the years show a marked decrease during times of war, illustrating commanders' willingness to look the other way when mission-critical personnel are revealed to be gay. (Chart courtesy of Servicemembers United DADT Archive)
* The full title of the policy is "Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Pursue, Don't Harass." This means that commanders cannot ask troops regarding their sexual orientation, troops must not divulge if they are gay, lesbian, or bisexual, and "witch hunt" pursuits and harassment of a suspected gay troop is prohibited. (We all know how well that translates in reality.) "Telling" is constituted by admission of homosexuality to anyone, regardless of intent to act on it or not, a homosexual act, or marriage or attempted marriage to a person of the same gender.
* H.R. 1283, the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, was re-introduced in the House in March 2009. The Senate version was S.3065. On May 27, 2010, the House of Representatives adopted an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of Fiscal Year 2011 (FY2011) by a vote of 234 to 194 that would lead to the repeal of DADT. The amendment did not mandate repeal; rather, it allowed for repeal if the President, Secretary of Defense, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff certify that repeal will not harm the military. On December 15, 2010 the House passed a standalone bill matching the NDAA amendment language 250-175. On December 18, the Senate passed the House’s stand-alone DADT bill, 65-31. On December 22, President Obama signed the bill allowing for DADT repeal into law. On July 22, 2011, SECDEF Leon Panetta, CJCS Admiral Mike Mullen, and President Obama "certified" repeal, kicking off the additional 60-day waiting period. As of today, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" remains in place.
A recent history of the fight over "Don't Ask Don't Tell" is below the fold. It is my hope that this comprehensive timeline of actions from the White House, the Pentagon, Congress, activists, advocates, and opponents will illuminate the past and ongoing war to get DADT repealed.
As of September 20, 2011, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is finally repealed. However, transgender servicemembers still cannot serve. LGB servicemembers are not protected by nondiscrimination policies, or fall under Command Managed Equal Opportunity, nor can their same-sex partners be recognized or cared for as heterosexual spouses can. Finally, because the "trigger repeal" law mandates open service at the pleasure of the Commander-in-Chief, future Presidents or Pentagon leadership can reinstate the policy at will, unless the ban is declared unConstitutional.
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