President Obama to sign 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' repeal act into law on Wednesday

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President Obama to sign 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' repeal act into law on Wednesday

2010-12-21 08:15:45 GMT+7 (ICT)

WASHINGTON, D.C. (BNO NEWS) -- The White House on Monday said President Barack Obama will sign the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010' into law on Wednesday.

The repeal was passed by both the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate last week, sending it to Obama for his signature. It will bring to an end a controversial policy which bans openly gay, lesbian, and bisexuals from serving in the U.S. military.

The White House said Obama will sign the repeal act into law during a signing ceremony at the Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday. He is expected to sign it at around 9.15 a.m. EST.

On Saturday, Obama marked the passage of the bill as 'an historic step forward.' "Today, the Senate has taken an historic step toward ending a policy that undermines our national security while violating the very ideals that our brave men and women in uniform risk their lives to defend," the President said in a statement released by the White House. "By ending 'Don’t Ask, Don't Tell,' no longer will our nation be denied the service of thousands of patriotic Americans forced to leave the military, despite years of exemplary performance, because they happen to be gay. And no longer will many thousands more be asked to live a lie in order to serve the country they love."

Obama said the repeal of DADT will underscore the professionalism of the nation's troops as 'the best led and best trained fighting force the world has ever known.' He said he was confident that the government could responsibly transition to the new policy.

The vote to repeal DADT was welcomed by many as right groups had campaigned for years to end the ban. "This long-awaited action is an important step toward allowing gays, lesbians, and bisexuals to serve openly and honorably in the armed forces," said American Psychological Association President Carol D. Goodheart, EdD. "Repeal of the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy will lift a heavy psychological burden of secrecy from gay, lesbian and bisexual military personnel."

DADT became official policy in December 1993, restricting the U.S. military from efforts to discover or repeal closeted gay, lesbian, and bisexual service members or applicants. Openly gay, lesbian, or bisexuals are barred from the military under the policy.

The new policy was first announced by President Bill Clinton on July 19, 1993 when he gave a speech at the National Defense University at Fort McNair. "I believe the policy I am announcing today represents a real step forward, but I know it will raise concerns in some of your minds," Clinton said at the time, referring to a policy which at the time barred any - openly or closeted - gay, lesbian, or bisexual to service in the military.

In the 90s, some service members returning from the Gulf war announced their homosexuality in protest of the military ban. "For people who are willing to play by the rules, able to serve and make a contribution, I believed then and I believe now we should give them the chance to do so," Clinton said during his speech, saying there is no study which shows homosexuals to be less capable or more prone to misconduct than heterosexual soldiers.

But Clinton did not move to lift the ban on gays entirely. "The experience of other nations and police and fire departments in the United States indicates that most homosexuals would probably not declare their sexual orientation openly, thereby making an already hard life even more difficult in some circumstances," he said.

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