Obama formally ends 'don't ask, don't tell' policy; gays to serve openly

President Barack Obama on Friday formally signed off on ending the ban on gays serving openly in the military.

The end of Don't Ask, Don't Tell marks the fulfillment of a key 2008 campaign promise to the gay community.

"As commander in chief, I have always been confident that our dedicated men and women in uniform would transition to a new policy in an orderly manner that preserves unit cohesion, recruitment, retention and military effectiveness," Obama said in a statement.

"Today's action follows extensive training of our military personnel and certification by Secretary Panetta and Admiral Mullen that our military is ready for repeal. As of September 20th, service members will no longer be forced to hide who they are in order to serve our country."

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta decided to officially repeal the 17-year-old ban on openly gay and lesbian service members after a report concluded that ending the ban would not interfere with military readiness.

Don't Ask, Don't Tell has remained a heavily contested law since 1993 when it was adopted under President Bill Clinton.

A federal court ordered the government to immediately stop enforcing the policy in early July.

The Obama administration later appealed the order, arguing that an immediate end would be too disruptive.

A former Army Ranger, Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), called the end of the policy a step in the right direction, describing the ban as "an ineffective policy that prevented talented, highly skilled soldiers from honorably serving our nation."

The Pentagon's decision comes just days after Obama's announcement of support for the Respect for Marriage Act, which repeals a ban on same-sex marriage.

The bill, sponsored by Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Kristen Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), ends the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as a legal union solely between a man and woman.Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2011/07/22/2011-07-22_pentagon_is_set_to_announce_official_repeal_of_dont_ask_dont_tell_policy.html#ixzz1T7tkXK7u

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