After almost two decades of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) policy in the United States armed services, a landmark victory for gay rights was made last week with military leaders announcing they are finally ready to repeal DADT.
U.S Sens. for Colorado, Michael Bennet and Mark Udall, and Congressman Jared Polis, all applauded last week's decision by Pentagon chief Leon Panetta to end the ban on gays serving openly in the armed services.
Dismantling the ban fulfills a 2008 campaign promise by President Barack Obama who helped usher the repeal through Congress and signed into law last December, Associated Press reported.
Bennet, a co-sponsor of the bill to repeal DADT made this statement in a press release on his website:
It's long past time for 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' to be relegated to the dustbin of history. This backwards looking policy is not only wrong; it undermines our national security and flies in the face of our national values.
Udall, a staunch opponent of DADT, made this statement on his website:
For almost two decades, we've had a policy that dishonored our troops and compromised our national security because it encouraged qualified service members to lie about their identity. Our men and women in uniform have been ahead of us for some time on this issue. They know that what counts in battle isn't your sexual orientation but your courage, strength, intelligence, training and loyalty.
According to The Colorado Independent, Jared Polis had this to say about the repeal:
The repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell is a landmark civil rights victory. With this victory, as with every civil rights advance, America becomes more true to its values and to the ideal that, not only are we all created equal, we are all equal in the eyes of the law. I express my gratitude to President Obama for his leadership and to my colleagues in Congress who voted to end Don't Ask, Don't Tell last December.
According to Mark Udall's website, DADT policy will end in 60 days.
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