USA: Pentagon applauds end of restrictions on gays serving in the military

Record ID: 278447

  • Title: USA: Pentagon applauds end of restrictions on gays serving in the military
  • Date: 21st September 2011
  • Summary: CAMP NOLAN, AFGHANISTAN (FILE-SEPTEMBER 11, 2010) (REUTERS) WIDE VIEW OF TROOPS FIRING WEAPONS CLOSE VIEW OF SOLDIER FIRING WEAPON CLOSE VIEW OF BULLET CASINGS EJECTING FROM WEAPON WIDE VIEW OF SOLDIER WITH ROCKET LAUNCHER
  • Embargoed: 6th October 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa, Afghanistan, Usa
  • City:
  • Country: Afghanistan
  • Topics: Legal System,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA14G988ZH84GILZQ4Y4RXEIWU7
  • Story Text: Pentagon officials on Tuesday (September 20) applauded the end of the policy banning gays from serving openly in the U.S. military, saying the actions moved the country closer to values of "equality, equal opportunity, and dignity for all Americans." Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta made the statement to reporters heralding the move as a "historic day for the Pentagon and for the nation."
    The repeal went into effect on Tuesday, ushering in a new era in the U.S. armed forces. The law had allowed gay men and women to serve in the military only if they kept their sexual orientation a secret. They faced the threat of being kicked out of the military if they were open about their homosexuality.
    President Barack Obama last December signed legislation to repeal the policy known as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," which had been passed by Congress and signed into law in 1993 under then-President Bill Clinton.
    Defense Secretary Leon Panetta made it clear that Pentagon leaders would not stand for mistreatment of gays in the ranks.
    "As secretary of defense, I'm committed to removing all of the barriers that would prevent Americans from serving their country and from rising to the highest level of responsibility that their talents and capabilities warrant, Panetta told reporters.
    The Pentagon said military recruiters are now accepting enlistment applications from openly gay people.
    Navy Admiral Mike Mullen, the top U.S. military officer, said allowing gays to serve openly is "a matter of integrity."
    "And today, with implementation of the new law fully in place, we are a stronger joint force, a more tolerant joint force, a force of more character and more honor, more in keeping with our own values," Mullen told reporters.
    Under the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, more than 14,500 U.S. service members were thrown out of the military since it went into effect in 1993, according to the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network.
    Gay rights groups for years denounced the law and called its end an important milestone in the fight against anti-homosexual discrimination. Some have compared its repeal to the racial integration of the U.S. armed forces.
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