On December 22, 2010, President Barack Obama marked a historic milestone in U.S. military and civil-rights history by signing the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act of 2010 into law in Washington, D.C. This event signified a profound shift in military policy, ending the 17-year-old statutory ban that forced lesbian, gay, and bisexual service members to hide their sexual orientation or face discharge.
The original Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) policy, enacted in 1993, was a compromise measure that permitted gay and lesbian Americans to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces only if they did not disclose their sexuality; commanders were prohibited from asking about sexual orientation, yet service members risked dismissal if they were openly gay or bisexual. Over the years, this policy resulted in thousands of separations and was widely criticized as discriminatory, harmful to morale, and inconsistent with military effectiveness.
The repeal legislation itself did not immediately abolish the policy’s effects; rather, it established a carefully structured mechanism for ending the ban. Under the law, the repeal would take effect only after the Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the President jointly certified to Congress that the Department of Defense had prepared appropriate regulations and that implementation would not diminish military readiness, effectiveness, unit cohesion, or recruitment and retention. Once that certification was made, a 60-day waiting period began.
At the signing ceremony, President Obama emphasized not just the legal change, but the broader values it represented: justice, equality, and unity. He reflected on the courage of service members who had served under the weight of secrecy and isolation, praising their patriotism and underscoring that America’s strength comes from embracing all who are willing to defend it. “We are not a nation that says, ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell,’” he said, “We are a nation that says, ‘Out of many, we are one.’”
The signing brought to fruition years of advocacy by service members, veterans, civil-rights groups, and lawmakers. It fulfilled a campaign promise by President Obama and responded to shifting public opinion and military research showing that allowing openly gay, lesbian, and bisexual personnel to serve would have little to no negative impact on military effectiveness.
By formally initiating the dismantling of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, the 2010 repeal act helped ensure that dedicated patriots could serve openly and honorably, without fear of discharge based on who they love — a defining moment in the long struggle for equality within the U.S. Armed Forces.
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Proverbs chapter 17 verse 13 says it all.