View source for Don't ask, don't tell

{{Short description|1994–2011 policy on LGBTQ people in the US military}}
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{{Redirect|DADT|the television syndication company|Disney–ABC Domestic Television}}
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{{Use American English|date=June 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2021}}
{{Infobox operational plan
| name        = Don't ask, don't tell
| image       = Screenshot of Video Recording of President William Jefferson Clinton.png
| caption     = President [[Bill Clinton]] announcing new policy regarding homosexual servicemembers in July 1993
| planned     = [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]] Directive 1304.26
| planned_by  = Bill Clinton's administration
| time-begin  = February 28, 1994
| time-end    = September 20, 2011
| executed_by = [[Les Aspin]]
| outcome     = Barring of openly gay, bisexual, and lesbian persons from the United States Armed Forces
}}
{{LGBT rights}}

"'''Don't ask, don't tell'''" ('''DADT''') was the official United States policy on [[Sexual orientation in the United States military|military service of homosexual people]]. Instituted during the [[Presidency of Bill Clinton]], the policy was issued under [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]] Directive 1304.26 on December 21, 1993, and was in effect from February 28, 1994, until September 20, 2011.<ref>{{cite web |title= Department of Defense Directive 1304.26 |url= http://biotech.law.lsu.edu/blaw/dodd/corres/html2/d130426x.htm |access-date= September 11, 2013}}</ref> The policy prohibited military personnel from discriminating against or harassing [[closeted]] homosexual or bisexual service members or applicants, while barring [[Coming out|openly gay]], lesbian, or bisexual persons from military service. This relaxation of legal restrictions on service by gays and lesbians in the armed forces was mandated by [[Act of Congress|Public Law]] 103–160 ([[Title 10 of the United States Code]] §654), which was signed November 30, 1993.<ref>{{cite web |title= Gays in the Military |url= http://guides.lib.washington.edu/content.php?pid=252734&sid=2701216 |access-date= September 11, 2013}}</ref> The policy prohibited people who "demonstrate a propensity or intent to engage in homosexual acts" from serving in the [[United States Armed Forces|armed forces of the United States]], because their presence "would create an unacceptable risk to the high standards of morale, good order and discipline, and unit cohesion that are the essence of military capability".<ref>{{UnitedStatesCodeSub|10|654|b}}</ref>

The act prohibited any non-heterosexual person from disclosing their sexual orientation or from speaking about any same-sex relationships, including [[Same-sex marriage in the United States|marriages]] or other familial attributes, while serving in the [[United States Armed Forces|United States armed forces]]. The act specified that service members who disclose that they are homosexual or engage in homosexual conduct should be separated (discharged) except when a service member's conduct was "for the purpose of avoiding or terminating military service" or when it "would not be in the best interest of the armed forces".<ref>{{UnitedStatesCode|10|654(e)}}</ref> Since DADT ended in 2011, persons who are openly homosexual and bisexual have been able to serve.<ref>{{cite web |title= Army Regulation 40-501, Standards of Medical Fitness, Chapters 2-27n and 3–35 |url= http://www.apd.army.mil/pdffiles/r40_501.pdf|access-date= December 21, 2013 |url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170201025132/http://www.apd.army.mil/pdffiles/r40_501.pdf | archive-date = February 1, 2017}}</ref>

The "don't ask" section of the DADT policy specified that superiors should not initiate an investigation of a service member's orientation without witnessing disallowed behaviors. However, evidence of homosexual behavior deemed credible could be used to initiate an investigation. Unauthorized investigations and harassment of suspected servicemen and women led to an expansion of the policy to "don't ask, don't tell, don't pursue, don't harass".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uscg.mil/d9/D9Legal/docs/05_2010MAYNewsletterDontAskDontTell.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929025359/http://www.uscg.mil/d9/D9Legal/docs/05_2010MAYNewsletterDontAskDontTell.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 29, 2011 |publisher=United States Coast Guard Ninth District Legal Office |title=''The Legal Brief'' "Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Pursue, Don't Harass: Reference (a): Personnel Manual, COMDTINST M1000.6, Ch. 12.E". |date=May 2010 |access-date=October 23, 2010 }}</ref>

Beginning in the early 2000s, several legal challenges to DADT were filed, and [[Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010|legislation to repeal DADT]] was enacted in December 2010, specifying that the policy would remain in place until the President, the [[United States Secretary of Defense|Secretary of Defense]], and the [[Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff]] certified that repeal would not harm military readiness, followed by a 60-day waiting period.<ref name="Obama_Signed">{{cite news |author= Sheryl Gay Stolberg |title= Obama Signs Away 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date= December 22, 2010 |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/23/us/politics/23military.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220101/https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/23/us/politics/23military.html |archive-date=2022-01-01 |url-access=limited |access-date= December 22, 2010}}{{cbignore}}</ref> A July 6, 2011, ruling from a federal appeals court barred further enforcement of the U.S. military's ban on openly gay service members.<ref name="Judged_Halts">{{cite news |agency= Associated Press |title= In reversal, federal court orders immediate end to 'don't ask, don't tell' policy |newspaper= The Washington Post |date= July 6, 2011 |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/in-reversal-federal-court-orders-immediate-end-to-dont-ask-dont-tell-policy/2011/07/06/gIQAAdux0H_story.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181206050237/https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/in-reversal-federal-court-orders-immediate-end-to-dont-ask-dont-tell-policy/2011/07/06/gIQAAdux0H_story.html |url-status= dead |archive-date= December 6, 2018 |access-date= July 6, 2011 }}</ref> President [[Barack Obama]], Secretary of Defense [[Leon Panetta]], and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral [[Michael Mullen|Mike Mullen]] sent that certification to Congress on July 22, 2011, which set the end of DADT to September 20, 2011.<ref>{{cite news |title= Obama certifies end of military's gay ban |agency= [[Reuters]] |via= [[NBC News]] |date= July 22, 2011 |url= https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna43859711 |access-date= July 22, 2011}}</ref>

Even with DADT repealed, the legal definition of marriage as being one man and one woman under the [[Defense of Marriage Act]] (DOMA) meant that, although same-sex partners could get married, their marriage was not recognized by the federal government. This barred partners from access to the same benefits afforded to heterosexual couples such as base access, health care, and [[United States military pay]], including family separation allowance and [[Basic Allowance for Housing]] with dependents.<ref name="SECDEF Memo dtd February 11, 2013">{{cite web |agency= U.S. Army |title= Extending Benefits to Same-Sex Domestic Partners of Military Members |date= February 11, 2013 |url= https://api.army.mil/e2/c/downloads/321865.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221021143644/https://api.army.mil/e2/c/downloads/321865.pdf |archive-date=21 October 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref> The Department of Defense attempted to allow some of the benefits that were not restricted by DOMA,<ref name="DECLARATION OF A SAME-SEX DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIP FOR DEERS ENROLLMENT">{{cite web |agency= reginfo.gov |title= DD Form X653 |date= August 20, 2013 |url= https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/DownloadDocument?objectID=40058601}}</ref> but the Supreme Court decision in ''[[United States v. Windsor]]'' (2013){{efn|Declaring Section 3 of DOMA unconstitutional under the [[Due Process Clause]], thereby requiring the federal government to recognize same-sex marriages conducted by US states.}} made these efforts unnecessary.<ref name="DoD Announces Extension of Equal Benefits for Same-Sex Military Spouses">{{cite web |agency= AMPA The American Military Partner Association |title= DoD Announces Extension of Equal Benefits for Same-Sex Military Spouses |date= August 14, 2013 |url= http://militarypartners.org/dod-announces-extension-of-equal-benefits-for-same-sex-military-spouses/}}</ref> On December 13, 2022, DOMA was officially repealed by the passage of the [[Respect for Marriage Act]].

==Background==
{{Further|Sexual orientation in the United States military}}
[[File:Dontaskdonttellcredible.jpg|thumb|310px|''Dignity and Respect'', the U.S. Army's 2001 training guide on the homosexual conduct policy, gave official guidelines on what can be considered credible information of someone's homosexuality or bisexuality.]]

Engaging in [[homosexual activity]] had been grounds for discharge from the American military since the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]]. Policies based on sexual orientation appeared as the United States prepared to enter [[World War II]]. When the military added psychiatric screening to its induction process, it included homosexuality as a disqualifying trait, then seen as a form of [[psychopathology]]. When the army issued revised mobilization regulations in 1942, it distinguished "homosexual" recruits from "normal" recruits for the first time.<ref>Bérubé, ''Coming Out Under Fire'', 9–14, 19</ref> Before the buildup to the war, gay service members were court-martialed, imprisoned, and dishonorably discharged; but in wartime, commanding officers found it difficult to convene court-martial boards of commissioned officers and the administrative [[blue discharge]] became the military's standard method for handling gay and lesbian personnel. In 1944, a new policy directive decreed that homosexuals were to be committed to military hospitals, examined by psychiatrists, and discharged under Regulation 615–360, [[Section 8 (military)|section 8]].<ref>Bérubé, ''Coming Out Under Fire'', 142–3</ref>

In 1947, blue discharges were discontinued and two new classifications were created: "general" and "undesirable". Under such a system, a serviceman or woman found to be gay but who had not committed any sexual acts while in service would tend to receive an undesirable discharge. Those found guilty of engaging in sexual conduct were usually dishonorably discharged.<ref>Jones, p. 3</ref> A 1957 U.S. Navy study known as the [[Crittenden Report]] dismissed the charge that homosexuals constitute a security risk, but nonetheless did not advocate for an end to anti-gay discrimination in the navy on the basis that "The service should not move ahead of civilian society nor attempt to set substantially different standards in attitude or action with respect to homosexual offenders." It remained secret until 1976.<ref>E. Lawrence Gibson, ''Get Off my Ship : Ensign Berg vs. the U.S. Navy'' (NY: Avon, 1978), 256–67</ref> [[Fannie Mae Clackum]] was the first service member to successfully appeal such a discharge, winning eight years of back pay from the [[United States Court of Federal Claims|US Court of Claims]] in 1960.<ref>{{cite book |title= Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers: A History of Lesbian Life in Twentieth-Century America |publisher= Penguin |year= 1991 |place= New York |page= [https://archive.org/details/oddgirlstwilight00fade/page/155 155] |isbn= 978-0-14-017122-8 |author= Lillian Faderman |url= https://archive.org/details/oddgirlstwilight00fade/page/155 |author-link= Lillian Faderman }}</ref>

From the 1950s through the [[Vietnam War]], some notable gay service members avoided discharges despite pre-screening efforts, and when personnel shortages occurred, homosexuals were allowed to serve.<ref>{{cite book |title= Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers: A History of Lesbian Life in Twentieth-Century America |publisher= Penguin |year= 1991 |place= New York |pages= [https://archive.org/details/oddgirlstwilight00fade/page/119 119–138] |isbn= 978-0-14-017122-8 |author= Lillian Faderman |url= https://archive.org/details/oddgirlstwilight00fade/page/119 |author-link= Lillian Faderman }}</ref>

The [[LGBT social movements|gay and lesbian rights movement]] in the 1970s and 1980s raised the issue by publicizing several noteworthy dismissals of gay service members. Air Force TSgt [[Leonard Matlovich]], the first service member to purposely out himself to challenge the ban, appeared on the cover of ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' in 1975.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090528203115/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,917785,00.html "The Sexes: The Sergeant v. the Air Force"]. ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]''. September 8, 1975. Retrieved July 26, 2011. Other prominent cases included [[Vernon Berg, III|Copy Berg]], [[Stephen Donaldson (activist)|Stephen Donaldson]].</ref> In 1982 the Department of Defense issued a policy stating that, "Homosexuality is incompatible with military service." It cited the military's need "to maintain discipline, good order, and morale" and "to prevent breaches of security".<ref>Fordham University: [http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/pwh/gao_report.asp "Homosexuals in the Armed Forces: United States GAO Report"], June 12, 1992. Retrieved February 27, 2012.</ref> In 1988, in response to a campaign against lesbians at the Marines' [[Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island|Parris Island Depot]], activists launched the Gay and Lesbian Military Freedom Project (MFP) to advocate for an end to the exclusion of gays and lesbians from the armed forces.<ref>Vaid, ''Virtual Equality'', 155-8</ref> In 1989, reports commissioned by the Personnel Security Research and Education Center (PERSEREC), an arm of the Pentagon, were discovered in the process of [[Joseph Steffan]]'s lawsuit fighting his forced resignation from the U.S. Naval Academy. One report said that "having a same-gender or an opposite-gender orientation is unrelated to [[job performance]] in the same way as is being left- or right-handed."<ref>Nathaniel Frank, ''Unfriendly Fire: How the Gay Ban Undermines the Military and Weakens America'' (NY: St. Martin's Press, 2009), 118–20; McFeeley, "Getting It Straight", 237-8</ref> Other lawsuits fighting discharges highlighted the service record of service members like [[Tracy Thorne-Begland|Tracy Thorne]] and [[Margarethe Cammermeyer|Margarethe (Grethe) Cammermeyer]]. The MFP began lobbying Congress in 1990, and in 1991 Senator [[Brock Adams]] (D-Washington) and Rep. [[Barbara Boxer]] introduced the Military Freedom Act, legislation to end the ban completely. Adams and Rep. [[Patricia Schroeder|Pat Schroeder]] (D-Colorado) re-introduced it the next year.<ref>McFeeley, "Getting It Straight", 238</ref> In July 1991, Secretary of Defense [[Dick Cheney]], in the context of the outing of his press aide [[Pete Williams (journalist)|Pete Williams]], dismissed the idea that gays posed a security risk as "a bit of an old chestnut" in testimony before the House Budget Committee.<ref>Stephen F. Hayes, ''Cheney: The Untold Story of America's Most Powerful and Controversial Vice President'' (NY: HarperCollins, 2007), 256</ref> In response to his comment, several major newspapers endorsed ending the ban, including ''USA Today'', the ''Los Angeles Times'', and the ''Detroit Free Press''.<ref>Brian P. Mitchell, ''Women in the military: Flirting with Disaster'' (Washington: Regnery Publishing, 1998), 281</ref> In June 1992, the General Accounting Office released a report that members of Congress had requested two years earlier estimating the costs associated with the ban on gays and lesbians in the military at $27&nbsp;million annually.<ref>McFeeley, "Getting It Straight", 237; Vaid, ''Virtual Equality'', 158-9</ref>

During the [[1992 U.S. presidential election]] campaign, the civil rights of gays and lesbians, particularly their open service in the military, attracted some press attention,<ref>Schmalz, Jeffrey (August 20, 1992). [https://www.nytimes.com/1992/08/20/news/delicate-balance-gay-vote-gay-rights-aids-emerging-divisive-issues-campaign.html "The Gay Vote; Gay Rights and AIDS Emerging As Divisive Issues in Campaign"], ''The New York Times''. Retrieved February 27, 2012. See also: Schmitt, Eric (August 26, 1992). [https://www.nytimes.com/1992/08/26/us/marine-corps-chaplain-says-homosexuals-threaten-military.html "Marine Corps Chaplain Says Homosexuals Threaten Military"], ''The New York Times'': Retrieved February 27, 2012</ref> and all candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination supported ending the ban on military service by gays and lesbians,<ref>Vaid, ''Virtual Equality'', 160</ref> but the Republicans did not make a political issue of that position.<ref>McFeeley, "Getting It Straight", 239</ref> In an August cover letter to all his senior officers, General [[Carl Epting Mundy Jr.|Carl Mundy Jr.]], Commandant of the Marine Corps, praised a position paper authored by a Marine Corps chaplain that said that "In the unique, intensely close environment of the military, homosexual conduct can threaten the lives, including the physical (e.g. [[AIDS]]) and psychological well-being of others". Mundy called it "extremely insightful" and said it offered "a sound basis for discussion of the issue".<ref>{{cite news |last=Schmitt |first= Eric |title= Marine Corps Chaplain Says Homosexuals Threaten Military |url= https://www.nytimes.com/1992/08/26/us/marine-corps-chaplain-says-homosexuals-threaten-military.html |access-date= January 23, 2013 |newspaper=The New York Times |date= August 26, 1992}}</ref> The murder of gay U.S. Navy petty officer [[Allen R. Schindler Jr.]] on October 27, 1992 brought calls from advocates for allowing open service by gays and lesbians in the US military, and requested prompt action from the incoming Clinton administration.<ref>Reza, H.G. (January 9, 1993). [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-01-09-mn-1001-story.html "Homosexual Sailor Beaten to Death, Navy Confirms"], ''Los Angeles Times''. Retrieved February 14, 2012.</ref>

==Origin==
{{External media | width = 210px | float = right | headerimage=  | video1 = [https://catalog.archives.gov/id/5956212 Video Recording of President William Jefferson Clinton Speaking at a Press Conference on the Topic of Lifting the Ban on Homosexuals in the Military], January 29, 1993, [[NARA]]| video2 = [https://catalog.archives.gov/id/5956215 Video Recording of President William Jefferson Clinton Speaking at an Announcement on New Policy Regarding Homosexuals in the Military], September 19, 1993, [[NARA]] }}

The policy was introduced as a compromise measure in 1993 by President [[Bill Clinton]] who campaigned in 1992 on the promise to allow all citizens to serve in the military regardless of sexual orientation.<ref name="Shankar, Thom">{{cite news |author= Shankar, Thom |title= A New Push to Roll Back 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' |newspaper= The New York Times |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/30/us/30military.html |access-date= December 29, 2012 | date= November 30, 2007}}</ref> Commander [[Craig Quigley]], a Navy spokesman, expressed the opposition of many in the military at the time when he said, "Homosexuals are notoriously promiscuous" and that in shared shower situations, heterosexuals would have an "uncomfortable feeling of someone watching".<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.nytimes.com/1993/01/27/us/military-cites-wide-range-of-reasons-for-its-gay-ban.html |title= Military Cites Wide Range of Reasons for Its Gay Ban |access-date= June 9, 2011 |newspaper=The New York Times |date= January 27, 1993 |first=Eric |last=Schmitt}}</ref>

During the 1993 policy debate, the National Defense Research Institute prepared a study for the Office of the Secretary of Defense published as ''Sexual Orientation and U.S. Military Personnel Policy: Options and Assessment''. It concluded that "circumstances could exist under which the ban on homosexuals could be lifted with little or no adverse consequences for recruitment and retention" if the policy were implemented with care, principally because many factors contribute to individual enlistment and re-enlistment decisions.<ref>{{cite book| author = National Defense Research Institute|author2=Rand Corporation Rand Corporation| title = Sexual orientation and U.S. military personnel policy: options and assessment| url = http://www.rand.org/pubs/monograph_reports/MR323/| year = 1993| publisher = Rand| location = Santa Monica, Calif| isbn = 978-0-8330-1441-2| page = 406 }}</ref> On May 5, 1993, [[Gregory M. Herek]], associate research psychologist at the [[University of California at Davis]] and an authority on public attitudes toward lesbians and [[gay men]], testified before the [[House Armed Services Committee]] on behalf of several professional associations. He stated, "The research data show that there is nothing about lesbians and gay men that makes them inherently unfit for military service, and there is nothing about heterosexuals that makes them inherently unable to work and live with gay people in close quarters." Herek added, "The assumption that heterosexuals cannot overcome their prejudices toward gay people is a mistaken one."<ref>Gregory M. Herek: [http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/rainbow/HTML/miltest2.html Oral Statement of Gregory M. Herek, PhD to the House Armed Services Committee] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160927012407/http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/rainbow/HTML/miltest2.html |date=September 27, 2016 }}. Retrieved February 24, 2012. The professional groups were the [[American Psychological Association]], the [[American Psychiatric Association]], the [[National Association of Social Workers]], the [[American Counseling Association]], the [[American Nursing Association]], and the [[Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States]].</ref>

In Congress, [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] Senator [[Sam Nunn]] of [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] and Chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee led the contingent that favored maintaining the absolute ban on gays. Reformers were led by Democratic Congressman [[Barney Frank]] of [[Massachusetts]], who favored modification (but ultimately voted for the defense authorization bill with the gay ban language), and [[1964 United States presidential election|1964]] [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] presidential nominee [[Barry Goldwater]], a former Senator and a retired Major General,<ref>{{cite web|publisher=US Air Force |title=Major General Barry M. Goldwater |url=http://www.af.mil/information/bios/bio.asp?bioID=5574 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130331211943/http://www.af.mil/information/bios/bio.asp?bioID=5574 |archive-date=March 31, 2013  }}</ref> who argued on behalf of allowing service by open gays and lesbians but was not allowed to appear before the Committee by Nunn. In a June 1993 ''Washington Post'' opinion piece, Goldwater wrote: "You don't have to be straight to shoot straight".<ref>{{cite book| title = The Advocate| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=f2MEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA15| date = July 7, 1998| publisher = Here Publishing| page = 15 }}</ref> The White House was also reportedly upset when LGBT activist [[David Mixner]] openly described Nunn as an "old-fashioned bigot" for opposing Clinton's plan to lift the ban on gays in the military.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.politico.com/news/2024/03/12/david-mixner-clinton-campaign-advisor-dies-00146576|title=David Mixner, LGBTQ+ activist and Bill Clinton campaign adviser, dies at 77|publisher=Associated Press|via=''Politico''|date=March 12, 2024|accessdate=March 12, 2024}}</ref>

Congress rushed to enact the existing gay ban policy into federal law, outflanking Clinton's planned repeal effort. Clinton called for legislation to overturn the ban, but encountered intense opposition from the [[Joint Chiefs of Staff]], members of Congress, and portions of the public. DADT emerged as a compromise policy.<ref name="Herek">{{cite web |url=https://psychology.ucdavis.edu/rainbow/html/military_history.html |website=Psychology UC Davis |title=Lesbians and Gay Men in the U.S. Military: Historical Background |access-date=March 16, 2021}}</ref> Congress included text in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1994 (passed in 1993) requiring the military to abide by regulations essentially identical to the 1982 absolute ban policy.<ref name=stanforddont /> The Clinton administration on December 21, 1993,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://biotech.law.lsu.edu/blaw/dodd/corres/html2/d130426x.htm |title=Defense Directive 1304.26: Qualification Standards for Enlistment, Appointment, and Induction |date=December 21, 1993 |publisher=Department of Defense}}</ref> issued Defense Directive 1304.26, which directed that military applicants were not to be asked about their sexual orientation.<ref name=stanforddont /> This policy is now known as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell". The phrase was coined by [[Charles Moskos]], a military sociologist.{{citation needed|date=October 2025}}

In accordance with the December 21, 1993, Department of Defense Directive 1332.14,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dont.stanford.edu/regulations/DOD1332.14.html |title=DoDD 1332.14, December 21, 1993 |publisher=Stanford University |access-date=December 19, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100704215220/http://dont.stanford.edu/regulations/DOD1332.14.html |archive-date=July 4, 2010 }}</ref> it was legal policy (10 U.S.C. § 654)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/10/654.html |title=Title 10, Subtitle A, Part II, Chapter 37, § 654. Policy concerning homosexuality in the armed forces |publisher=Cornell Law School|date=June 9, 2010 |access-date=December 19, 2010}}</ref> that homosexuality was incompatible with military service and that persons who engaged in homosexual acts or stated that they are homosexual or bisexual were to be discharged.<ref name="Shankar, Thom"/><ref name="stanforddont">{{cite web|title=Don't Ask Don't Tell Don't Pursue |publisher=Robert Crown Law Library |url=http://dont.stanford.edu/doclist.html |date=September 7, 1999 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425081637/http://dont.stanford.edu/doclist.html |archive-date=April 25, 2012 }}</ref> The [[Uniform Code of Military Justice]], passed by Congress in 1950 and signed by President [[Harry S Truman]], established the policies and procedures for discharging service members.<ref name="stewart">{{cite book| author = Chuck Stewart| title = Homosexuality and the law: a dictionary| url = https://archive.org/details/homosexualitylaw0000stew| url-access = registration| year = 2001| publisher = Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO| isbn = 978-1-57607-267-7| pages = [https://archive.org/details/homosexualitylaw0000stew/page/196 196]–7 }}</ref>

The full name of the policy at the time was "Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Pursue". The "Don't Ask" provision mandated that military or appointed officials not ask about or require members to reveal their sexual orientation. The "Don't Tell" stated that a member may be discharged for claiming to be a homosexual or bisexual or making a statement indicating a tendency towards or intent to engage in homosexual activities. The "Don't Pursue" established what was minimally required for an investigation to be initiated. A "Don't Harass" provision was added to the policy later. It ensured that the military would not allow harassment or violence against service members for any reason.<ref name="Herek"/>

The [[Servicemembers Legal Defense Network]] was founded in 1993 to advocate an end to discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in the U.S. Armed Forces.<ref>Eric Schmitt (December 19, 1993). [https://www.nytimes.com/1993/12/19/us/us-agencies-split-over-legal-tactics-on-gay-troop-plan.html "U.S. Agencies Split over Legal Tactics on Gay Troop Plan"]. ''The New York Times''. Retrieved April 7, 2012.</ref>

==Court challenges==
DADT was upheld by five federal Courts of Appeal.<ref>''Richenberg v. Perry'', 97&nbsp;F.3d 256 (8th Cir. 1996); ''Thomasson v. Perry'', 80&nbsp;F.3d 915 (4th Cir. 1996); ''[[Able v. United States]]'', 155&nbsp;F.3d 628 (2d Cir. 1998); ''[[Cook v. Gates]]'', 528&nbsp;F.3d 42 (1st Cir. 2008); [[Holmes v. California National Guard]], 124&nbsp;F.3d 1126 (9th Cir. 1998)</ref> The [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]], in ''[[Rumsfeld v. Forum for Academic and Institutional Rights, Inc.]]'' (2006), unanimously held that the federal government could constitutionally withhold funding from universities, no matter what their nondiscrimination policies might be, for refusing to give military recruiters access to school resources. An association of law schools had argued that allowing military recruiting at their institutions compromised their ability to exercise their free speech rights in opposition to discrimination based on sexual orientation as represented by DADT.<ref>{{cite news|last=Mears |first=Bill |year=2006 |title=Justices uphold military recruiting on campuses |publisher=CNN |url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/03/06/scotus.recruiting/index.html |access-date=March 6, 2006}}</ref>

===''McVeigh v. Cohen''===
In January 1998, Senior Chief Petty Officer Timothy R. McVeigh{{efn|Not to be confused with convicted [[Oklahoma City bombing|Oklahoma City bomber]], [[Timothy McVeigh|Timothy J. McVeigh]]}}  won a preliminary injunction from a U.S. district court that prevented his discharge from the U.S. Navy for "homosexual conduct" after 17 years of service. His lawsuit did not challenge the DADT policy but asked the court to hold the military accountable for adhering to the policy's particulars. The Navy had investigated McVeigh's sexual orientation based on his [[AOL]] email account name and user profile. District Judge [[Stanley Sporkin]] ruled in ''[[McVeigh v. Cohen]]'' that the Navy had violated its own DADT guidelines: "Suggestions of sexual orientation in a private, anonymous email account did not give the Navy a sufficient reason to investigate to determine whether to commence discharge proceedings."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.internetlibrary.com/pdf/McVeigh-Cohen-DDC.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110101052148/http://www.internetlibrary.com/pdf/McVeigh-Cohen-DDC.pdf |archive-date=2011-01-01 |url-status=live|title=Memorandum Opinion, ''Timothy R. McVeigh v. William S. Cohen, et al.'' |last=Sporkin|first=Stanley|date=January 26, 1998|publisher=U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia|access-date=September 21, 2014}}</ref> He called the Navy's investigation "a search and destroy mission" against McVeigh. The case also attracted attention because a navy paralegal had misrepresented himself when querying AOL for information about McVeigh's account. [[Frank Rich]] linked the two issues: "McVeigh is as clear-cut a victim of a witch hunt as could be imagined, and that witch hunt could expand exponentially if the military wants to add on-line fishing to its invasion of service members' privacy."<ref>{{cite news|first=Frank|last=Rich|date=January 17, 1998|title=The 2 Tim McVeighs|newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/01/17/opinion/journal-the-2-tim-mcveighs.html |access-date=September 21, 2014}}</ref> AOL apologized to McVeigh and paid him damages. McVeigh reached a settlement with the Navy that paid his legal expenses and allowed him to retire with full benefits in July. ''[[The New York Times]]'' called Sporkin's ruling "a victory for gay rights, with implications for the millions of people who use computer on-line services".<ref name=nyt19980612>{{cite news |last1= Shenon |first1=Philip |title= Sailor Victorious in Gay Case of On-Line Privacy |url= https://www.nytimes.com/1998/06/12/us/sailor-victorious-in-gay-case-of-on-line-privacy.html |access-date= September 21, 2014 |newspaper=The New York Times |date= June 12, 1998}}</ref>

===''Witt v. Department of the Air Force''===
In April 2006, Margaret Witt, a major in the [[United States Air Force]] who was being investigated for homosexuality, filed suit in the [[United States District Court for the Western District of Washington]] seeking [[Declaratory relief|declaratory]] and [[Injunction|injunctive relief]] on the grounds that DADT violates substantive [[due process]], the Equal Protection Clause, and procedural due process. In July 2007 the [[United States Secretary of the Air Force|Secretary of the Air Force]] ordered her honorable discharge. Dismissed by the district court, the case was heard on appeal, and the Ninth Circuit issued its ruling on May 21, 2008. Its decision in ''[[Witt v. Department of the Air Force]]'' reinstated Witt's substantive-due-process and procedural-due-process claims and affirmed the dismissal of her Equal Protection claim. The Ninth Circuit, analyzing the Supreme Court decision in ''[[Lawrence v. Texas]]'' (2003), determined that DADT had to be subjected to heightened scrutiny, meaning that there must be an "important" governmental interest at issue, that DADT must "significantly" further the governmental interest, and that there can be no less intrusive way for the government to advance that interest.{{citation needed|date=October 2025}}

The [[Presidency of Barack Obama|Barack Obama administration]] declined to appeal, allowing a May 3, 2009, deadline to pass, leaving ''Witt'' as binding on the entire Ninth Circuit, and returning the case to the District Court.<ref>{{cite news |last= Bravin |first= Jess |author2= Laura Meckler |title= Obama Avoids Test on Gays in Military |newspaper= [[The Wall Street Journal]] |date= May 19, 2009 |url= https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB124268952606832391 |access-date= July 24, 2010}}</ref> On September 24, 2010, District Judge [[Ronald B. Leighton]] ruled that Witt's constitutional rights had been violated by her discharge and that she must be reinstated to the Air Force.<ref name="judgeorders">{{cite news |last= Johnson |first= Gene |agency=[[Associated Press]] |title= Judge orders lesbian reinstated to Air Force – Case challenges 'Don't ask, don't tell' policy |via= [[NBC News]] |date= September 24, 2010 |url= https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna39349633 |access-date= September 24, 2010 }}</ref>

The government filed an appeal with the Ninth Circuit on November 23, but did not attempt to have the trial court's ruling stayed pending the outcome.<ref>{{cite news|title=DOJ Appeals Lesbian's Reinstatement to Air Force|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/doj-appeals-lesbians-reinstatement-to-air-force/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130119060615/http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-201_162-7084333.html|url-status=live|archive-date=January 19, 2013|access-date=December 29, 2012|agency=CBS News|date=November 24, 2010}}</ref> In a settlement announced on May 10, 2011, the Air Force agreed to drop its appeal and remove Witt's discharge from her military record. She will retire with full benefits.<ref>''Seattle Post Intelligencer'': Pulkkinnen, Levi (May 10, 2011). [http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Pentagon-settles-with-McChord-major-fired-for-1373728.php "Pentagon settles with McChord major fired for being lesbian"]. Retrieved May 12, 2011</ref>

===''Log Cabin Republicans v. United States of America''===
In 2010, a lawsuit filed in 2004 by the [[Log Cabin Republicans]] (LCR), the nation's largest Republican gay organization, went to trial.<ref name="dadt722">{{cite web|last=Garcia |first=Michelle |title=Key DADT Repeal Advocate Testifies |publisher=Advocate.com |date=July 22, 2010 |url=http://advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2010/07/22/Key_DADT_Repeal_Advocate_Testifies_in_Court/ |access-date=July 22, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100724091456/http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2010/07/22/Key_DADT_Repeal_Advocate_Testifies_in_Court/ |archive-date=July 24, 2010  }}</ref> Challenging the constitutionality of DADT, the plaintiffs stated that the policy violates the rights of gay military members to free speech, due process and open association. The government argued that DADT was necessary to advance a legitimate governmental interest.<ref>Law.com: [https://www.law.com/almID/1202463512493/ Constitutional Challenge to 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Reaches Trial]</ref> Plaintiffs introduced statements by President [[Barack Obama]], from prepared remarks, that DADT "doesn't contribute to our national security", "weakens our national security", and that reversal is "essential for our national security". According to plaintiffs, these statements alone satisfied their burden of proof on the due process claims.<ref>{{cite web |title=In the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit |date=March 28, 2011 |url=http://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/general/2011/05/10/Brief.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161227100543/http://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/general/2011/05/10/Brief.pdf |archive-date=2016-12-27 |url-status=live |access-date=March 16, 2021}}</ref>

On September 9, 2010, Judge [[Virginia A. Phillips]] ruled in ''[[Log Cabin Republicans v. United States of America]]'' that the ban on service by openly gay service members was an unconstitutional violation of the [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First]] and [[Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Fifth Amendments]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jIWJ1V2EsAQ8O7sPsyfXG0OAQTBwD9I56TQ82 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100913034403/http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jIWJ1V2EsAQ8O7sPsyfXG0OAQTBwD9I56TQ82 |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 13, 2010 |title=US judge: 'Don't ask, don't tell' unconstitutional |agency=Associated Press |date=September 10, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/09/federal-judge-declares-us-military-ban-on-openly-gay-service-members-unconstitutional-.html |title=Judge declares U.S. military's 'don't ask, don't tell' policy openly banning gay service members unconstitutional |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=September 9, 2010 |first=Phil |last=Willon}}</ref> On October 12, 2010, she granted an immediate worldwide injunction prohibiting the Department of Defense from enforcing the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy and ordered the military to suspend and discontinue any investigation or discharge, separation, or other proceedings based on it.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite news|url=http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/10/12/judge-orders-military-to-stop-enforcing-dont-ask-dont-tell/?hpt=T2|title=Judge orders military to stop enforcing don't ask, don't tell|publisher=CNN|access-date=October 13, 2010|date=October 12, 2010|archive-date=February 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224211709/https://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/10/12/judge-orders-military-to-stop-enforcing-dont-ask-dont-tell/?hpt=T2|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/13/us/13military.html|title=Judge Orders U.S. Military to Stop 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' |date=October 12, 2010|newspaper=The New York Times|first=John|last=Schwartz|access-date=December 29, 2012}}</ref> The Department of Justice appealed her decision and requested a stay of her injunction,<ref name="stay">{{cite news| url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/10/14/military.gay/index.html |publisher=CNN | title=Justice department seeks stay of judge's 'don't-ask-don't-tell' ruling | date=October 15, 2010}}</ref> which Phillips denied but which the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals granted on October 20<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/10/20/dont.ask.dont.tell/index.html |title=Appeals court delays injunction against 'don't ask, don't tell' |publisher=CNN |date=October 19, 2010 |access-date=October 23, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2010/1020/Don-t-ask-don-t-tell-back-in-force-after-appeals-court-issues-stay|title='Don't ask, don't tell' back in force after appeals court issues stay|journal=The Christian Science Monitor|date=October 21, 2010}}</ref> and stayed pending appeal on November 1.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/02/us/02military.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220101/https://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/02/us/02military.html |archive-date=2022-01-01 |url-access=limited |title=Military Policy on Gays to Stand, Pending Appeal |author=John Schwartz |date=November 1, 2010 |access-date=November 3, 2010 |newspaper=The New York Times}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The U.S. Supreme Court refused to overrule the stay.<ref name="Ed O'Keefe">{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/05/AR2010110507139.html |author=Ed O'Keefe |access-date=November 9, 2010 |date=November 6, 2010 |title=Group asks high court to lift 'don't ask' ban |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> District Court neither anticipated questions of constitutional law nor formulated a rule broader than is required by the facts. The constitutional issues regarding DADT are well-defined, and the District Court focused specifically on the relevant inquiry of whether the statute impermissibly infringed upon substantive due process rights with regard to a protected area of individual liberty. Engaging in a careful and detailed review of the facts presented to it at trial, the District Court concluded that the Government put forward no persuasive evidence to demonstrate that the statute is a valid exercise of congressional authority to legislate in the realm of protected liberty interests. See Log Cabin, 716 F. Supp. 2d at 923. Hypothetical questions were neither presented nor answered in reaching this decision. On October 19, 2010, military recruiters were told they could accept openly gay applicants.<ref name="autogenerated2">{{cite news| url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/10/19/pentagon.gays.recruiting/index.html |title=Military recruiters told they can accept openly gay applicants | date=October 19, 2010 |publisher=CNN}}</ref> On October 20, 2010, Lt. [[Dan Choi]], an openly gay man honorably discharged under DADT, re-enlisted in the U.S. Army.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.salon.com/news/dont_ask_dont_tell/?story=/politics/war_room/2010/10/20/dadt_choi_appeal|title="Don't ask, don't tell" no longer enforced, Dan Choi reenlists|work=Salon}}</ref>

Following the passage of the [[Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010]], the Justice Department asked the Ninth Circuit to suspend LCR's suit in light of the legislative repeal. LCR opposed the request, noting that gay personnel were still subject to discharge. On January 28, 2011, the Court denied the Justice Department's request.<ref>''The Advocate'': [http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2011/01/30/DADT_Case_Still_Alive/ "DADT Case Still Alive"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110202063711/http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2011/01/30/DADT_Case_Still_Alive/ |date=February 2, 2011 }}, January 30, 2011. Retrieved February 14, 2012.</ref> The Obama administration responded by requesting that the policy be allowed to stay in place while they completed the process of assuring that its end would not impact combat readiness. On March 28, the LCR filed a brief asking that the court deny the administration's request.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/28/dont-ask-dont-tell-end-ur_n_841739.html | work=HuffPost | title='Don't Ask, Don't Tell' End Urged By Lawyers For Log Cabin Republicans | date=March 28, 2011}}</ref>

In 2011, while waiting for certification, several service members were discharged under DADT at their own insistence,<ref name="Still_discharges">{{cite news|author=Harmon, Andrew|title=Pentagon Confirms New DADT Discharges|newspaper=The Advocate|date=June 27, 2011|url=http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2011/06/27/Air_Force_Confirms_New_Round_of_Discharges_Under_Dont_Ask_Dont_Tell/ |access-date=July 6, 2011}}</ref> until July 6 when a three-judge panel of the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit|Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals]] re-instated Judge Phillips' injunction barring further enforcement of the U.S. military's ban on openly gay service members.<ref>{{cite news|title=Appeals court orders immediate halt to gay military ban |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna43660098 |access-date=December 29, 2012 |newspaper=MSNBC |date=July 6, 2011  }}</ref> On July 11, the appeals court asked the DOJ to inform the court if it intended to proceed with its appeal.<ref>{{cite news|title=9th Circuit orders gov't to state position on DADT|url=http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2011/jul/11/9th-circuit-orders-govt-to-state-position-on-dadt/|access-date=December 29, 2012|newspaper=San Diego Union Tribune|date=July 11, 2011}}</ref> On July 14, the Justice Department filed a motion "to avoid short-circuiting the repeal process established by Congress during the final stages of the implementation of the repeal".<ref name="Mohajer">{{cite news|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna43779915 |title=Court: 'don't ask, don't tell' will stay in place |last=Mohajer |first=Shaya Tayefe |website=ABC News |agency=Associated Press |date=July 15, 2011 |access-date=March 16, 2021}}</ref> and warning of "significant immediate harms on the government". On July 15, the Ninth Circuit restored most of the DADT policy,<ref name=Mohajer/> but continued to prohibit the government from discharging or investigating openly gay personnel. Following the implementation of DADT's repeal, a panel of three judges of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals [[Vacated judgment|vacated]] the Phillips ruling.<ref>{{cite web|last=Gerstein|first=Josh|title=Appeals court nullifies 'don't ask, don't tell' ruling|publisher=[[Politico (newspaper)|Politico]]|date=September 29, 2011 |url= https://www.politico.com/blogs/under-the-radar/0911/Appeals_court_nullifies_dont_ask_dont_tell_ruling.html|access-date=September 29, 2011}}</ref>

==Debate==
[[File:Defense.gov photo essay 101203-F-2270A-631.jpg|thumb|General [[Norton A. Schwartz]], chief of staff of the United States Air Force, testifies on the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" before the Senate Armed Services Committee on December 3, 2010.]]

Following the July 1999 murder of Army Pfc. [[Barry Winchell]], apparently motivated by anti-gay bias, President Clinton issued an executive order modifying the [[Uniform Code of Military Justice]] to permit evidence of a hate crime to be admitted during the sentencing phase of a trial.<ref name = "burelli20">{{cite book| author = David F. Burrelli| title = Homosexuals and the U. S. Military: Current Issues| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Nvg3haJS1KIC&pg=PA20| date = February 2010| publisher = DIANE Publishing| isbn = 978-1-4379-2329-2| page = 20 }}</ref><ref>National Archives: [http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-1999-10-12/pdf/99-26670.pdf Executive Order 13140], October 6, 1999. Retrieved March 16, 2012.</ref> In December, Secretary of Defense [[William Cohen]] ordered a review of DADT to determine if the policy's anti-gay harassment component was being observed.<ref>CNN: [https://archive.today/20120708222635/http://articles.cnn.com/1999-12-13/us/pentagon.gays_1_homosexual-acts-gays-number-of-service-members "Pentagon to review don't ask, don't tell policy"], December 13, 1999. Retrieved March 16, 2012.</ref> When that review found anti-gay sentiments were widely expressed and tolerated in the military, the DOD adopted a new anti-harassment policy in July 2000, though its effectiveness was disputed.<ref name=burelli20 /> On December 7, 1999, [[Hillary Clinton]] told an audience of gay supporters that "Gays and lesbians already serve with distinction in our nation's armed forces and should not face discrimination. Fitness to serve should be based on an individual's conduct, not their sexual orientation."<ref>{{cite news|last=Nagourney|first=Adam|title=Hillary Clinton Faults Policy Of 'Don't Ask'|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/12/09/nyregion/hillary-clinton-faults-policy-of-don-t-ask.html|access-date=January 1, 2013|newspaper=The New York Times|date=December 9, 1999}}</ref> Later that month, retired General [[Carl E. Mundy Jr.]] defended the implementation of DADT against what he called the "politicization" of the issue by both Clintons. He cited discharge statistics for the Marines for the past five years that showed 75% were based on "voluntary admission of homosexuality" and 49% occurred during the first six months of service, when new recruits were most likely to reevaluate their decision to enlist. He also argued against any change in the policy, writing in ''The New York Times'': "Conduct that is widely rejected by a majority of Americans can undermine the trust that is essential to creating and maintaining the sense of unity that is critical to the success of a military organization operating under the very different and difficult demands of combat."<ref>{{cite news|last=Mundy|first=Carl E.|title='Don't Ask' Policy: Don't Call It A Failure |url=http://articles.philly.com/1999-12-20/news/25478640_1_homosexuals-gays-order-and-discipline |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120107010839/http://articles.philly.com/1999-12-20/news/25478640_1_homosexuals-gays-order-and-discipline |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 7, 2012 |access-date=December 30, 2012|newspaper=Philadelphia Inquirer|date=December 20, 1999}}</ref> The conviction of Winchell's murderer, according to ''The New York Times'', "galvanized opposition" to DADT, an issue that had "largely vanished from public debate". Opponents of the policy focused on punishing harassment in the military rather than the policy itself, which Senator [[Chuck Hagel]] defended on December 25: "The U.S. armed forces aren't some social experiment."<ref>{{cite news|last=Schmitt|first=Eric|title=Gay Rights Advocates Plan to Press Clinton to Undo Policy of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/12/25/us/gay-rights-advocates-plan-press-clinton-undo-policy-don-t-ask-don-t-tell.html|access-date=January 11, 2013|newspaper=The New York Times|date=December 25, 1999}}</ref>

The principal candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2000, [[Al Gore]] and [[Bill Bradley]], both endorsed military service by open gays and lesbians, provoking opposition from high-ranking retired military officers, notably the recently retired commandant of the Marine Corps, General [[Charles C. Krulak]]. He and others objected to Gore's statement that he would use support for ending DADT as a "litmus test" when considering candidates for the [[Joint Chiefs of Staff]].<ref>''The New York Times'': [https://www.nytimes.com/2000/01/07/us/officers-riled-by-policy-on-gays-proposed-in-gore-bradley-debate.html Steven Lee Myers, "Officers Riled by Policy on Gays Proposed in Gore-Bradley Debate"], January 7, 2000. Retrieved April 8, 2012.</ref> The 2000 [[Democratic National Convention|Democratic Party]] platform was silent on the issue,<ref>American Presidency Project: [http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=29612 Democratic Party Platform of 2000, August 14, 2000]. Retrieved December 27, 2012.</ref> while the [[2000 Republican National Convention|Republican Party]] platform that year said: "We affirm that homosexuality is incompatible with military service."<ref>American Presidency Project: [http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=25849 Republican Party Platform of 2000, July 31, 2000]. Retrieved December 27, 2012.</ref> Following the election of [[George W. Bush]] in 2000, observers expected him to avoid any changes to DADT, since his nominee for Secretary of State Colin Powell had participated in its creation.<ref>ABC News: [https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=122050& Julia Campbell, "Bush on Gay Rights Issues"], January 17, 2001. Retrieved April 4, 2012.</ref>

In February 2004, members of the British Armed Forces, Lt Rolf Kurth and Lt Cdr Craig Jones, along with Aaron Belkin, Director of the Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military met with members of Congress and spoke at the National Defense University.  They spoke about their experience of the current situation in the UK.  The UK lifted the ban on gay members serving in their forces in 2000.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.brookings.edu/opinions/dont-make-a-big-deal-of-ending-dont-ask-dont-tell-lessons-from-u-s-military-allies-on-allowing-homosexuals-to-serve/|title=Don't Make a Big Deal of Ending Don't Ask Don't Tell: Lessons from U.S. Military Allies on Allowing Homosexuals to Serve|last=Singer|first=Lt Col Charles McLean and Peter W.|date=May 27, 2010|website=Brookings|access-date=February 27, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=12QEAAAAMBAJ&q=craig+jones+mbe+gay&pg=PA32|title=The Advocate|date=March 30, 2004|publisher=Here Publishing}}</ref>

In July 2004, the [[American Psychological Association]] issued a statement that DADT "discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation" and that "Empirical evidence fails to show that sexual orientation is germane to any aspect of military effectiveness including unit cohesion, morale, recruitment and retention." It said that the U.S. military's track record overcoming past racial and gender discrimination demonstrated its ability to integrate groups previously excluded.<ref>American Psychological Association: [http://www.apa.org/about/governance/council/policy/military.aspx Proceedings of the American Psychological Association for the legislative year 2004. Minutes of the meeting of the Council of Representatives July 28 & 30, 2004, Honolulu, Hawaii]. Retrieved March 5, 2012.</ref> The [[2004 Republican National Convention|Republican Party platform that year]] reiterated its support for the policy—"We affirm traditional military culture, and we affirm that homosexuality is incompatible with military service."<ref>American Presidency Project: [http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=25850 Republican Party Platform of 2004, August 30, 2004]. Retrieved December 27, 2012.</ref>—while the [[2004 Democratic National Convention|Democratic Party]] maintained its silence.<ref>American Presidency Project: [http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=29613 Democratic Party Platform of 2004, July 26, 2004]. Retrieved December 27, 2012.</ref>

In February 2005, the [[Government Accountability Office]] released estimates of the cost of DADT. It reported at least $95.4&nbsp;million in recruiting costs and at least $95.1&nbsp;million for training replacements for the 9,488 troops discharged from 1994 through 2003, while noting that the true figures might be higher.<ref name="qkuldr">{{cite news|title=Report: 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' costs $363M |newspaper=USA Today |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-02-14-dont-ask-report_x.htm |access-date=March 14, 2012 |date=February 14, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080205172932/http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-02-14-dont-ask-report_x.htm |archive-date=February 5, 2008 |url-status=live  }}</ref> In September, as part of its campaign to demonstrate that the military allowed open homosexuals to serve when its workforce requirements were greatest, the [[Palm Center|Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military]] (now the Palm Center) reported that army regulations allowed the active-duty deployment of Army Reservists and National Guard troops who claim to be or who are accused of being gay. A U.S. Army Forces Command spokesperson said the regulation was intended to prevent Reservists and National Guard members from pretending to be gay to escape combat.<ref>{{cite news|last=Chibbaro |first=Lou |year=2005|title=Out gay soldiers sent to Iraq – Regulation keeps straights from 'playing gay' to avoid war |newspaper=Washington Blade |url=http://washblade.com/2005/9-23/news/national/outiraq.cfm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516002106/http://washblade.com/2005/9-23/news/national/outiraq.cfm |archive-date=May 16, 2008 |access-date=March 6, 2006}}</ref><ref>Aaron Belkin, ''How We Won: Progressive Lessons from the Repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"'' (Kindle Edition), ch. 6, paragraphs 22-5</ref> Advocates of ending DADT repeatedly publicized discharges of highly trained gay and lesbian personnel,<ref>Belkin, ''How We Won'', ch.2, paragraphs 18ff.</ref> especially those in positions with critical shortages, including fifty-nine Arabic speakers and nine [[Persian language|Persian]] speakers.<ref name="Guardian">{{cite news |last=Nasaw |first=Daniel |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/jun/29/gay-veteran-us-army-choi |title=Don't ask, don't tell: gay veteran of Iraq takes on US army |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |location=London |access-date=November 6, 2009 |date=June 29, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Benjamin|first=Stephen|title=Don't Ask, Don't Translate|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/08/opinion/08benjamin.html|access-date=December 29, 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=June 8, 2007}}</ref> [[Elaine Donnelly (writer)|Elaine Donnelly]], president of the [[Center for Military Readiness]], later argued that the military's failure to ask about sexual orientation at recruitment was the cause of the discharges: [Y]ou could reduce this number to zero or near zero if the Department of Defense dropped Don't Ask, Don't Tell.&nbsp;... We should not be training people who are not eligible to be in the Armed Forces."<ref name=housereview>Congress, House, Military Personnel Subcommittee, [http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CHRG-110hhrg44634/pdf/CHRG-110hhrg44634.pdf ''Don't Ask Don't Tell Review''], 110th Cong., 2nd sess., July 23, 2008, 39</ref>

In February 2006, a [[University of California]] [[Blue Ribbon Commission]] that included [[Lawrence Korb]], a former assistant defense secretary during [[Ronald Reagan]]'s presidency, [[William J. Perry]], Secretary of Defense from Bill Clinton's presidency, and professors from the [[United States Military Academy]] released their assessment of the GAO's analysis of the cost of DADT released a year earlier. The commission report stated that the GAO did not take into account the value the military lost from the departures. They said that that total cost was closer to $363&nbsp;million, including $14.3&nbsp;million for "separation travel" following a service member's discharge, $17.8&nbsp;million for training officers, $252.4&nbsp;million for training enlistees, and $79.3&nbsp;million in recruiting costs.<ref name = "qkuldr"/>

In 2006, [[Soulforce (organization)|Soulforce]], a national LGBT rights organization, organized its [[Right to Serve Campaign]], in which gay men and lesbians in several cities attempted to enlist in the Armed Forces or National Guard.<ref>{{cite news|last=Alvarez|first=Lizette|title=Gay Groups Renew Drive Against 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/14/us/14gay.html|access-date=December 29, 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=September 14, 2006}}</ref> Donnelly of the Center for Military Readiness stated in September: "I think the people involved here do not have the best interests of the military at heart. They never have. They are promoting an agenda to normalize homosexuality in America using the military as a battering ram to promote that broader agenda." She said that "pro-homosexual activists&nbsp;... are creating media events all over the country and even internationally."<ref>ChristiansUnite.com: [http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion05098.shtml Chad Groening, "'Coordinated' Campaign Targets Military Ban on Homosexuals"], September 21, 2006. Retrieved February 25, 2012.</ref>

In 2006, a speaking tour of gay former service members, organized by SLDN, Log Cabin Republicans, and Meehan, visited 18 colleges and universities. Patrick Guerriero, executive director of Log Cabin, thought the repeal movement was gaining "new traction" but "Ultimately", said, "we think it's going to take a Republican with strong military credentials to make a shift in the policy." Elaine Donnelly called such efforts "a big P.R. campaign" and said that "The law is there to protect good order and discipline in the military, and it's not going to change."<ref name=nytrenew />

In December 2006, [[Zogby International]] released the results of a poll of military personnel conducted in October 2006 that found that 26% favored allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military, 37% were opposed, while 37% expressed no preference or were unsure. Of respondents who had experience with gay people in their unit, 6% said their presence had a positive impact on their personal morale, 66% said no impact, and 28% said negative impact. Regarding overall unit morale, 3% said positive impact, 64% no impact, and 27% negative impact.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.palmcenter.org/files/active/0/ZogbyReport.pdf |title=Opinions of Military Personnel on Sexual Minorities in the Military |year=2006 |access-date=October 13, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110301194434/http://www.palmcenter.org/files/active/0/ZogbyReport.pdf |archive-date=March 1, 2011 |url-status=dead  }} Respondents uncertain whether they had served with gay personnel, 2% thought gays would have a positive effect on personal morale, while 29% thought that they would have no impact and 48% thought that they would have a negative effect. Regarding overall unit morale, 2% thought that gays would have a positive effect on overall unit morale, 26% thought they would have no effect, and 58% thought they would have a negative effect. Some 73% of respondents said that they felt comfortable in the presence of gay and lesbian personnel.</ref>

Retired [[Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff]] General [[John Shalikashvili]]<ref>{{cite news |first=Gordon |last=Lubold |title=Former JCS chairman: It's time to give 'don't ask, don't tell' policy another look |url=http://www.airforcetimes.com/issues/stories/0-AIRPAPER-2461638.php |newspaper=[[Air Force Times]] |date=January 15, 2007 |access-date=January 13, 2007}}</ref> and former Senator and [[United States Secretary of Defense|Secretary of Defense]] [[William Cohen]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Former Defense Secretary William Cohen Says Congress Should Re-Visit "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" |publisher=[[Servicemembers Legal Defense Network]] |date=January 3, 2007 |url=http://www.sldn.org/news/archives/former-defense-secretary-william-cohen-says-congress-should-re-visit-dont-a/ |access-date=December 22, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110112013052/http://www.sldn.org/news/archives/former-defense-secretary-william-cohen-says-congress-should-re-visit-dont-a/ |archive-date=January 12, 2011  }}</ref> opposed the policy in January 2007: "I now believe that if gay men and lesbians served openly in the United States military, they would not undermine the efficacy of the armed forces" Shalikashvili wrote. "Our military has been stretched thin by our deployments in the Middle East, and we must welcome the service of any American who is willing and able to do the job."<ref name="newletter">{{cite news |first=Tom |last=Shanker |author2=Healy, Patrick |title=A New Push to Roll Back 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/30/us/30military.html |date=November 30, 2007 |access-date=December 29, 2012}}</ref> Shalikashvili mentioned the recent "Zogby poll of more than 500 service members returning from Afghanistan and Iraq, three-quarters of whom said they were comfortable interacting with gay people.<ref>Shalikashvili, John (January 2, 2007). [https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10F10F73D540C718CDDA80894DF404482& "Second Thoughts on Gays in the Military"], ''The New York Times''. Retrieved March 5, 2012.</ref> The debate took a different turn in March when General [[Peter Pace]], Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the editorial board of the ''Chicago Tribune'' he supported DADT because "homosexual acts between two individuals are immoral and&nbsp;... we should not condone immoral acts."<ref>{{cite news|last=Madhani|first=Aamer|title=Don't drop 'don't ask, don't tell,' Pace says |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2007/03/13/dont-drop-dont-ask-dont-tell-pace-says/|access-date=December 30, 2012|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=March 13, 2007}}</ref> His remarks became, according to the ''Tribune'', "a huge news story on radio, television and the Internet during the day and showed how sensitive the Pentagon's policy has become."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Neikirk|first1=William|last2=Demirjian|first2=Karoun|title=Pace takes fire on gays remark|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2007/03/14/pace-takes-fire-on-gays-remark/|access-date=December 30, 2012|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=March 14, 2007}}</ref> Senator John Warner, who backed DADT, said "I respectfully, but strongly, disagree with the chairman's view that homosexuality is immoral", and Pace expressed regret for expressing his personal views and said that DADT "does not make a judgment about the morality of individual acts."<ref>{{cite news|last=Shanker|first=Thom|title=Top General Explains Remarks on Gays|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/14/washington/14pace.html|access-date=December 30, 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=March 14, 2007}}</ref> Massachusetts Governor [[Mitt Romney]], then in the early stages of his campaign for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, defended DADT:<ref>{{cite news|last1=Marinucci|first1=Carla|title=Romney defends general, 'don't ask, don't tell' policy |url=http://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/CAMPAIGN-TRAIL-Romney-defends-general-don-t-2569666.php|access-date=September 23, 2014 |agency=[[SFGate]]|date=March 17, 2007}}</ref>

{{Blockquote|When I first heard [the phrase], I thought it sounded silly and I just dismissed it and said, well, that can't possibly work. Well, I sure was wrong. It has worked. It's been in place now for over a decade. The military says it's working and they don't want to change it&nbsp;... and they're the people closest to the front. We're in the middle of a conflict right now. I would not change it.}}

That summer, after U.S. Senator [[Larry Craig]] was arrested for lewd conduct in a men's restroom, conservative commentator [[Michael Medved]] argued that any liberalization of DADT would "compromise restroom integrity and security". He wrote: "The national shudder of discomfort and queasiness associated with any introduction of homosexual eroticism into public men's rooms should make us more determined than ever to resist the injection of those lurid attitudes into the even more explosive situation of the U.S. military."<ref>{{cite news|last=Medved|first=Michael|title=Larry Craig and "Don't Tap, Don't Tell" |url=http://townhall.com/columnists/michaelmedved/2007/09/05/larry_craig_and_dont_tap,_dont_tell/page/full/ |access-date=December 30, 2012|newspaper=townhall.com|date=September 5, 2007}}</ref>

In November 2007, 28 retired generals and admirals urged Congress to repeal the policy, citing evidence that 65,000 gay men and women were serving in the armed forces and that there were over a million gay veterans.<ref name="newletter" /><ref name="MSN-MilitaryView">{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |title=Admirals, generals: Let gays serve openly |via=NBC News |date=November 18, 2008 |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna27774058 |access-date=October 13, 2009}}</ref> On November 17, 2008, 104 retired generals and admirals signed a similar statement.<ref name="MSN-MilitaryView"/> In December, SLDN arranged for ''[[60 Minutes]]'' to interview [[Darren Manzella]], an Army medic who served in Iraq after coming out to his unit.<ref>Sidki, Pelin (November 10, 2009). [https://edition.cnn.com/2009/US/11/10/vif2.dont.ask.dont.tell/ "Discharged under 'don't ask, don't tell'"]. Retrieved March 12, 2012.</ref>

In 2008, former U.S. Senator [[Sam Nunn]], who previously stalled efforts to lift the ban on gays serving in military when he was Chairman of the Senate Armed Forces Committee, hinted a shift from his previous political views by endorsing a new [[The Pentagon|Pentagon]] study to examine the issue of homosexuals serving openly in the military, stating "I think [when] 15 years go by on any personnel policy, it's appropriate to take another look at it—see how it's working, ask the hard questions, hear from the military. Start with a Pentagon study."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/shared-blogs/ajc/politicalinsider/entries/2008/06/03/says_nunn_it_might_be_time_to.html|title=Says Nunn: It might be time to take another look at 'don't ask, don't tell'|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120110221531/http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/shared-blogs/ajc/politicalinsider/entries/2008/06/03/says_nunn_it_might_be_time_to.html|newspaper=[[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]]|date=June 3, 2008|archive-date=January 10, 2012|access-date=March 12, 2024}}</ref>

On May 4, 2008, while Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral [[Mike Mullen]] addressed the graduating cadets at [[United States Military Academy|West Point]], a cadet asked what would happen if the next administration were supportive of legislation allowing gays to serve openly. Mullen responded, "Congress, and not the military, is responsible for DADT." Previously, during his Senate confirmation hearing in 2007, Mullen told lawmakers, "I really think it is for the American people to come forward, really through this body, to both debate that policy and make changes, if that's appropriate." He went on to say, "I'd love to have Congress make its own decisions" with respect to considering repeal.<ref>{{cite press release|title=Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Tells Cadets Military Ready to Accept Gay Service Members |publisher=Servicemembers Legal Defense Network |date=May 6, 2008 |url=http://www.sldn.org/news/archives/chairman-of-the-joint-chiefs-tells-cadets-military-ready-to-accept-gay-serv |access-date=December 22, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110112042543/http://www.sldn.org/news/archives/chairman-of-the-joint-chiefs-tells-cadets-military-ready-to-accept-gay-serv/ |archive-date=January 12, 2011  }}</ref>

In May 2009, when a committee of military law experts at the [[Palm Center]], an anti-DADT research institute, concluded that the President could issue an Executive Order to suspend homosexual conduct discharges,<ref name="UCSB">{{cite web |last1=Herek |first1=Gregory M. |author1-link=Gregory M. Herek |last2=Belkin |first2=Aaron |last3=Frank |first3=Nathaniel |last4=Hillman |first4=Elizabeth L. |last5=Mazur |first5=Diane H. |last6=Wilson |first6=Bridget J. |title=How to End "Don't Ask, Don't Tell": A Roadmap of Political, Legal, Regulatory, and Organizational Steps to Equal Treatment |publisher=Palm Center; [[University of California, Santa Barbara]] |date=May 12, 2009 |url=http://www.palmcenter.org/files/active/0/Executive%20Order%20on%20Gay%20Troops%20-%20final.pdf |access-date=December 19, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101218130603/http://www.palmcenter.org/files/active/0/Executive%20Order%20on%20Gay%20Troops%20-%20final.pdf |archive-date=December 18, 2010 |url-status=dead  }}</ref> Obama rejected that option and said he wanted Congress to change the law.<ref>Youssef, Nancy, {{cite web |title=Judge rejects Obama's 'don't ask, don't tell' argument |date=October 20, 2010 |url=http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/article24597271.html |access-date=July 14, 2015}}. In July 2009, the White House and other Democrats reportedly pressured Florida Rep. [[Alcee Hastings]] to withdraw an amendment to the [[National Defense Authorization Act]] ({{USBill|111|H.R.|2647}}) that would have prevented the military from using federal funds to expel gay service members. {{cite news |last=Clark |first=Lesley |title=Lawmaker backs off effort to fight Don't Ask, Don't Tell |newspaper=[[Miami Herald]] |date=July 28, 2009 |url=http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/AP/story/1161451.html |access-date=July 30, 2009}}</ref>

On July 5, 2009, [[Colin Powell]] told CNN that the policy was "correct for the time" but that "sixteen years have now gone by, and I think a lot has changed with respect to attitudes within our country, and therefore I think this is a policy and a law that should be reviewed." Interviewed for the same broadcast, Mullen said the policy would continue to be implemented until the law was repealed, and that his advice was to "move in a measured way.&nbsp;... At a time when we're fighting two conflicts there is a great deal of pressure on our forces and their families."<ref name="July5_Powell_Mullen">[https://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE5641A920090705 Time to review policy on gays in U.S. military: Powell], July 5, Reuters</ref> In September, ''Joint Force Quarterly'' published an article by an Air Force colonel<ref>{{cite journal|last=Prakash |first=Om |year=2009 |title=The Efficacy of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" |journal=Joint Force Quarterly |volume=2009 |issue=55 |pages=88–94 |url=http://www.ndu.edu/press/lib/images/jfq-55/14.pdf |access-date=December 22, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527232604/http://www.ndu.edu//press//lib/images/jfq-55/14.pdf |archive-date=May 27, 2010  }} The article won the Secretary of Defense National Security Essay competition for 2009.</ref> that disputed the argument that unit cohesion is compromised by the presence of openly gay personnel.<ref>{{cite news |title=Rare Source of Attack on 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' |first=Elisabeth |last=Bumiller |author-link=Elisabeth Bumiller |date=September 30, 2009 |access-date=December 29, 2012 |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/01/us/01pentagon.html}}</ref>

In October 2009, the Commission on Military Justice, known as the [[Walter T. Cox III|Cox Commission]], repeated its 2001 recommendation that Article 125 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which bans sodomy, be repealed, noting that "most acts of consensual sodomy committed by consenting military personnel are not prosecuted, creating a perception that prosecution of this sexual behavior is arbitrary."<ref>Novak, Lisa M. (October 27, 2009). [http://www.stripes.com/news/panel-urges-ending-ucmj-s-sodomy-ban-1.95937 "Panel urges ending UCMJ's sodomy ban"], ''Stars and Stripes''. Retrieved February 20, 2012.</ref>

In January 2010, the White House and congressional officials started work on repealing the ban by inserting language into the 2011 defense authorization bill.<ref>{{cite news |work=HuffPost |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/12/dems-move-forward-with-pl_n_420180.html |first=Sam |last=Stein |date=January 12, 2010 |title=DADT Repeal: Dems Move Forward With Plans |access-date=January 14, 2010}}</ref> During Obama's [[2010 State of the Union Address|State of the Union Address]] on January 27, 2010, he said that he would work with Congress and the military to enact a repeal of the gay ban law and for the first time set a timetable for repeal.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/01/27/obama.gays.military/index.html |last1=Hornick |first1=Ed |last2=Ure |first2=Laurie |title=Obama Calls for "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Repeal |date=January 27, 2010 |agency=CNN |access-date=March 16, 2021}}</ref>

At a February 2, 2010, congressional hearing, Senator [[John McCain]] read from a letter signed by "over one thousand former general and flag officers". It said: "We firmly believe that this law, which Congress passed to protect good order, discipline and morale in the unique environment of the armed forces, deserves continued support."<ref>Joint Chiefs of Staff: [http://www.jcs.mil/speech.aspx?id=1322 "Testimony Regarding DoD 'Dont Ask, Dont Tell' Policy"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120130085039/http://www.jcs.mil/speech.aspx?id=1322 |date=January 30, 2012 }}, February 22, 2010. Retrieved February 19, 2012.</ref> The signature campaign had been organized by [[Elaine Donnelly (writer)|Elaine Donnelly]] of the [[Center for Military Readiness]], a longtime supporter of a traditional all-male and all-heterosexual military.<ref>''The Guardian'': [https://www.theguardian.com/world/feedarticle/8431955 "Retired military officers: keep ban on gays"], March 31, 2009. Retrieved February 19, 2012.</ref> [[Servicemembers United]], a veterans group opposed to DADT, issued a report critical of the letter's legitimacy. They said that among those signing the letter were officers who had no knowledge of their inclusion or who had refused to be included, and even one instance of a general's widow who signed her husband's name to the letter though he had died before the survey was published. The average age of the officers whose names were listed as signing the letter was 74, the oldest was 98, and Servicemembers United noted that "only a small fraction of these officers have even served in the military during the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' period, much less in the 21st century military."<ref>Chris Johnson, [http://www.washingtonblade.com/2010/03/03/new-report-undermines-officers%E2%80%99-letter-supporting-%E2%80%98don%E2%80%99t-ask%E2%80%99/ New report undermines officers' letter supporting 'Don't Ask'], ''Washington Blade'', March 3, 2010</ref>

The [[Center for American Progress]] issued a report in March 2010 that said a smooth implementation of an end to DADT required eight specified changes to the military's internal regulations.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/lgbtq-rights/reports/2010/02/17/7331/americans-support-repeal-of-dont-ask-dont-tell/ |last1=Krehely |first1=Jeff |last2=Teixeira |first2=Ruy |title=American Support Repeal of "Don't Ask Don't Tell |date=February 17, 2010 |publisher=Center for American Progress |access-date=March 16, 2021}}</ref> On March 25, 2010, Defense Secretary Gates announced new rules mandating that only [[flag officer]]s could initiate discharge proceedings and imposing more stringent rules of evidence on discharge proceedings.<ref>{{cite news|title=Gates eases ban on gays in the military|url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/03/25/military.gays/index.html|access-date=December 29, 2012|agency=CNN|date=March 26, 2010}}</ref>

==Repeal==
The underlying justifications for DADT had been subjected to increasing suspicion and outright rejection by the early 21st century. Mounting evidence obtained from the integration efforts of foreign militaries, surveys of U.S. military personnel, and studies conducted by the DoD&nbsp;gave credence to the view that the presence of open homosexuals within the military would not be detrimental at all to the armed forces. A DoD study conducted at the behest of Secretary of Defense Robert Gates in 2010 supports this most.

The DoD working group conducting the study considered the impact that lifting the ban would have on unit cohesion and effectiveness, good order and discipline, and military morale. The study included a survey that revealed significant differences between respondents who believed they had served with homosexual troops and those who did not believe they had. In analyzing such data, the DoD working group concluded that it was actually generalized perceptions of homosexual troops that led to the perceived unrest that would occur without DADT. Ultimately, the study deemed the overall risk to military effectiveness of lifting the ban to be low. Citing the ability of the armed forces to adjust to the previous integration of African-Americans and women, the DoD study asserted that the United States military could adjust as had it before in history without an impending serious effect.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.law.georgetown.edu/academics/law-journals/gjlpp/upload/zs800112000015.pdf|title = The Effects of Repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell: Is the Combat Exclusion the Next Casualty in the March Toward Integration?|last = Crandall|first = Carla}}</ref>

In March 2005, Rep. [[Marty Meehan|Martin T. Meehan]] introduced the [[Military Readiness Enhancement Act]] in the House. It aimed "to amend title 10, United States Code, to enhance the readiness of the Armed Forces by replacing the current policy concerning homosexuality in the Armed Forces, referred to as 'Don't ask, don't tell,' with a policy of nondiscrimination on the basis of sexual orientation".<ref>{{USBill|109|H.R.|1059}}</ref> As of 2006, it had 105 Democrats and 4 Republicans as co-sponsors.<ref name="nytrenew">''The New York Times'': [https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0A12FD3B550C708DDDAA0894DE404482& John Files, "Advocates Hope Supreme Court Ruling Can Renew Attention to 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'"], March 13, 2006. Retrieved February 19, 2012.</ref> He introduced the bill again in 2007 and 2009.

During the [[2008 U.S. presidential election]] campaign, Senator Barack Obama advocated a full repeal of the laws barring gays and lesbians from serving in the military.<ref name="MSNBC">{{cite news|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna24046489 |title=Obama: Repeal of 'don't ask, don't tell' possible |agency=Associated Press |via=NBC News |date=April 10, 2008}}</ref> Nineteen days after his election, Obama's advisers announced that plans to repeal the policy might be delayed until 2010, because Obama "first wants to confer with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and his new political appointees at the Pentagon to reach a consensus, and then present legislation to Congress".<ref>{{cite news |first=Rowan |last=Scarborough |title=Obama to delay repeal of 'don't ask, don't tell': advisers see consensus building before lifting ban on gays |url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/nov/21/obama-to-delay-repeal-of-dont-ask-dont-tell/ |newspaper=The Washington Times |date=November 21, 2008 |access-date=November 22, 2008}}</ref> As president he advocated a policy change to allow gay personnel to serve openly in the armed forces, stating that the U.S. government has spent millions of dollars replacing troops expelled from the military, including language experts fluent in [[Arabic]], because of DADT.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Obama |first1=Barack |last2=The Office of the President-elect |title=Plan to Strengthen Civil Rights |publisher=[[Change.gov]] |year=2008 |url=http://www.change.gov/agenda/civil_rights_agenda/ |access-date=December 19, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110102184520/http://change.gov/agenda/civil_rights_agenda/ |archive-date=January 2, 2011 }}</ref> On the eve of the [[National Equality March]] in Washington, D.C., October 10, 2009, Obama stated in a speech before the [[Human Rights Campaign]] that he would end the ban, but he offered no timetable.<ref>{{cite news |last=Simmons |first=Christine |title=Gays Question Obama 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Pledge |newspaper=USA Today |agency=Associated Press |date=October 10, 2009 |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/topstories/2009-10-10-808606012_x.htm |access-date=December 10, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Gerstein |first=Josh |title=President Obama offers little new in speech to gay rights activists at HRC dinner |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2009/10/little-new-in-obama-speech-to-hrc-028156 |date=October 10, 2009 |publisher=Politico |access-date=October 11, 2009}}</ref> Obama said in his 2010 State of the Union Address: "This year, I will work with Congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/01/27/obama.gays.military/index.html |title=Obama calls for 'don't ask, don't tell' repeal |publisher=CNN |date=January 27, 2010}}</ref> This statement was quickly followed up by Defense Secretary [[Robert Gates]] and Joint Chiefs chairman [[Michael Mullen]] voicing their support for a repeal of DADT.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bumiller |first=Elizabeth|title=Top Defense Officials Seek to End 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/03/us/politics/03military.html|access-date=December 29, 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=February 2, 2010}}</ref>

===Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010===
{{See also|Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010}}
[[File:DADT Repeal Senate.svg|thumb|right|The Senate passed S.4023 65–31 with all Democrats (except for one abstention) and eight Republicans in support.
{{legend|#000080|Both yes}}
{{legend|#0066FF|One yes, one did not vote}}
{{legend|#D42AFF|One yes, one no}}
{{legend|#D40000|One no, one did not vote}}
{{legend|#800000|Both no}}]]

Democrats in both houses of Congress first attempted to end DADT by amending the Defense Authorization Act. On May 27, 2010, on a 234–194 vote,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2010/roll317.xml |title=Final vote results for roll call 317 |publisher=Clerk.house.gov |date=May 27, 2010 |access-date=December 19, 2010}}</ref> the U.S. House of Representatives approved [[Patrick Murphy (Pennsylvania politician)|Patrick Murphy]]'s amendment<ref>{{cite news|last1=Allen|first1=Jared|last2=Tiron|first2=Roxana|title=GOP to defend 'Don't ask, Don't Tell'|newspaper=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]|date=May 25, 2010|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/house/161816-gop-to-defend-dont-ask-dont-tell/|access-date=May 30, 2010}}</ref> to the [[National Defense Authorization Act]] for Fiscal Year 2011. It provided for repeal of the DADT policy and created a process for lifting the policy, including a [[United States Department of Defense|U.S. Department of Defense]] study and certification by key officials that the change in policy would not harm military readiness followed by a waiting period of 60 days.<ref name="Fritze">{{cite news|first=John|last=Fritze|title=Congress advances repeal of 'don't ask, don't tell'|newspaper=USA Today|date=May 27, 2010|url=http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2010/05/congress-advances-repeal-of-%E2%80%98dont-ask-dont-tell/1|access-date=May 27, 2010}}</ref><ref name="NYT100528">{{cite news|last1=Herszenhorn|first1=David M.|last2=Hulse|first2=Carl|title=House Votes to Allow Repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Law|newspaper=The New York Times|date=May 27, 2010|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/28/us/politics/28tell.html|access-date=May 28, 2010}}</ref> The amended defense bill passed the House on May 28, 2010.<ref>{{cite news|last=Herszenhorn|first=David M.|title=House Passes Bill With 'Don't Tell' Repeal|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/29/us/politics/29cong.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220101/https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/29/us/politics/29cong.html |archive-date=2022-01-01 |url-access=limited |access-date=December 29, 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=May 28, 2010}}{{cbignore}}</ref> On September 21, 2010, [[John McCain]] led a successful [[filibuster]] against on the Defense Authorization Act, in which 56 Senators voted to [[cloture|end debate]], four short of the 60 votes required.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/09/21/senate.defense.bill/index.html |publisher=CNN | title=Senate halts 'don't ask, don't tell' repeal | date=September 22, 2010}}</ref> Some advocates for repeal, including the Palm Center, OutServe, and Knights Out, opposed any attempt to block the passage of NDAA if it failed to include DADT repeal language. The Human Rights Campaign, the Center for American Progress, Servicemembers United and SLDN refused to concede that possibility.<ref>O'Keefe, Ed (November 15, 2010). [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/15/AR2010111506463.html "'Don't ask, don't tell' splitting gay rights groups"]. ''The Washington Post''. Retrieved March 12, 2010.</ref>

[[File:Obama meets with Joint Chiefs about DADT.jpg|thumb|left|President Obama meeting in the Oval Office with Secretary Gates, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Commandant of the Coast Guard on the eve of the publication of a DoD report on the repeal of DADT.]]

The [[American Civil Liberties Union]] (ACLU) filed a lawsuit, ''[[Collins v. United States]]'', against the Department of Defense in November 2010 seeking full compensation for those discharged under the policy.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.aclu.org/lgbt-rights/collins-v-united-states-class-action-military-separation-pay|title = Collins v. United States – Class Action for Military Separation Pay|publisher = American Civil Liberties Union|date = November 10, 2010}}</ref>

On November 30, 2010, the [[Joint Chiefs of Staff]] released the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Comprehensive Review Working Group (CRWG) report authored by [[Jeh C. Johnson]], [[General Counsel of the Department of Defense]], and Army General [[Carter F. Ham]].<ref name="AFPS-report">{{Cite web|author=Daniel, Lisa |date=November 30, 2010 |title=Repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Offers Few Risks, Report Finds |publisher=Armed Forces Press Service, United States Department of Defense |url=https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/id/61899/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120115122016/http://www.defense.gov//News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=61899 |archive-date=January 15, 2012 |url-status=live  }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=O'Keefe |first=Ed |date=November 30, 2010 |title='Don't ask, don't tell' report authors speak out |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/30/AR2010113002654.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130901222056/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/30/AR2010113002654.html |archive-date=September 1, 2013 |url-status=live  }}</ref> It outlined a path to the implementation of repeal of DADT.<ref name="CRWG">Department of Defense: [http://www.defense.gov/home/features/2010/0610_dadt/DADTReport_FINAL_20101130%28secure-hires%29.pdf "Report of the Comprehensive Review of the Issues Associated with a Repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120113202958/http://www.defense.gov/home/features/2010/0610_dadt/DADTReport_FINAL_20101130%28secure-hires%29.pdf |date=January 13, 2012 }}, November 30, 2010. Retrieved January 30, 2012; [[:File:DADT Defense Department report.pdf|comprehensive report]]. Survey results 63–79, analysis 120-6, quote 121: "Overall, in response to a variety of questions, 50–55% of the force indicated that repeal will have a mixed or no effect; about 15–20% believe that repeal will have a positive effect, while another 30% believe it will have a negative effect."</ref> The report indicated that there was a low risk of service disruptions due to repealing the ban, provided time was provided for proper implementation and training.<ref name="AFPS-report" /><ref name="NYTonCRWG">{{cite news|last=Bumiller|first=Elisabeth|title=Pentagon Sees Little Risk in Allowing Gay Men and Women to Serve Openly|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/01/us/politics/01military.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220101/https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/01/us/politics/01military.html |archive-date=2022-01-01 |url-access=limited |access-date=December 29, 2012|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=November 30, 2010}}{{cbignore}}</ref> It included the results of a survey of 115,000 active-duty and reserve service members. Across all service branches, 30 percent thought that integrating gays into the military would have negative consequences. In the Marine Corps and combat specialties, the percentage with that negative assessment ranged from 40 to 60 percent. The CRWG also said that 69 percent of all those surveyed believed they had already worked with a gay or lesbian and of those, 92 percent reported that the impact of that person's presence was positive or neutral.<ref name=CRWG /><ref name=NYTonCRWG /> The same day, in response to the CRWG, 30 professors and scholars, most from military institutions, issued a joint statement saying that the CRWG "echoes more than 20 studies, including studies by military researchers, all of which reach the same conclusion: allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly will not harm the military&nbsp;... We hope that our collective statement underscores that the debate about the evidence is now officially over".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.palmcenter.org/press/dadt/releases/military-civilianprofessorsdadtdebateover |title=Military and Civilian Professors Say That "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Debate is Over – 30 Scholars Conclude that Prejudice is the Only Remaining Rationale for Gay Ban |publisher=Palmcenter.org |date=December 15, 2010 |access-date=December 19, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725185218/http://www.palmcenter.org/press/dadt/releases/military-civilianprofessorsdadtdebateover |archive-date=July 25, 2011 }}. The signers' affiliations included current and former academics at the [[United States Army War College|Army War College]], [[United States Naval Academy|Naval Academy]], [[United States Military Academy|West Point]], [[United States Air Force Academy|Air Force Academy]], [[Naval Postgraduate School]], [[Naval War College]], [[Air Command and Staff College]] and [[National Defense University (Washington, D.C.)|National Defense University]] and such non-military institutions as [[Harvard University|Harvard]], Yale and [[Princeton University|Princeton]]. The statement was organized by the Pam Center.</ref> The [[Family Research Council]]'s president, [[Tony Perkins (politician)|Tony Perkins]], interpreted the CRWG data differently, writing that it "reveals that 40 percent of Marines and 25 percent of the Army could leave".<ref>Perkins, Tony (December 9, 2010). ''The Washington Times'': [http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/dec/9/listen-to-the-marines-on-dont-ask/ "Listen to the Marines on 'Don't Ask'"]. Retrieved April 4, 2012.</ref>

Gates encouraged Congress to act quickly to repeal the law so that the military could carefully adjust rather than face a court decision requiring it to lift the policy immediately.<ref name=NYTonCRWG /> The United States Senate held two days of hearings on December 2 and 3, 2010, to consider the CRWG report. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Joint Chiefs chairman Michael Mullen urged immediate repeal.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bumiller |first=Elizabeth |title=Top Defense Officials Seek to End 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' |newspaper=The New York Times |date=February 2, 2010 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/03/us/politics/03military.html |access-date=December 29, 2012}}</ref> The heads of the Marine Corps, Army, and Navy all advised against immediate repeal and expressed varied views on its eventual repeal.<ref>{{cite news|last=Bumiller|first=Elizabeth|title=Service Chiefs Tell Panel of Risks to 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Repeal|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/04/us/politics/04military.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220101/https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/04/us/politics/04military.html |archive-date=2022-01-01 |url-access=limited|access-date=December 29, 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=December 3, 2010}}{{cbignore}}</ref> [[Oliver North]], writing in ''[[National Review]]'' the next week, said that Gates' testimony showed "a deeply misguided commitment to political correctness". He interpreted the CRWG's data as indicating a high risk that large numbers of resignations would follow the repeal of DADT. Service members, especially combat troops, he wrote, "deserve better than to be treated like lab rats in Mr. Obama's radical social experiment".<ref>North, Oliver (December 7, 2010). [http://www.nationalreview.com/article/254643/gays-military-oliver-north "Gays in the Military"], ''National Review'': Retrieved February 26, 2012</ref>

[[File:Obama signs DADT repeal.jpg|thumb|Obama signs the [[Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010]]]]

On December 9, 2010, another filibuster prevented debate on the Defense Authorization Act.<ref>{{cite news |last1=O'Keefe |first1=Ed |last2=Kane |first2=Paul |title='Don't ask, don't tell' procedural vote fails |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=December 9, 2010 |url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2010/12/dont_ask_dont_tell_procedural.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121009011320/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2010/12/dont_ask_dont_tell_procedural.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 9, 2012 |access-date=December 10, 2010}}</ref> In response to that vote, Senators [[Joe Lieberman]] and [[Susan Collins (politician)|Susan Collins]] introduced a bill that included the policy-related portions of the Defense Authorization Act that they considered more likely to pass as a stand-alone bill.<ref>{{cite news|last1=O'Keefe |first1=Ed |last2=Whitlock |first2=Craig |title=New bill introduced to end 'don't ask, don't tell'|newspaper=The Washington Post |date=December 11, 2010 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/10/AR2010121007163.html |access-date=December 13, 2010}}</ref> It passed the House on a vote of 250 to 175 on December 15, 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2010/roll638.xml |title=Final vote results for roll call 638 |publisher=Clerk.house.gov |date=December 15, 2010 |access-date=December 19, 2010}}</ref> On December 18, 2010, the Senate voted to end debate on its version of the bill by a cloture vote of 63–33.<ref>[https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=111&session=2&vote=00279 "U.S. Senate Roll Call"], U.S. Senate, December 18, 2010. Retrieved December 18, 2010.</ref> The final Senate vote was held later that same day, with the measure passing by a vote of 65–31.<ref name="NYTcong">{{cite news|last=Hulse|first=Carl|title=Senate Repeals Ban Against Openly Gay Military Personnel|newspaper=The New York Times|date=December 18, 2010|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/19/us/politics/19cong.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220101/https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/19/us/politics/19cong.html |archive-date=2022-01-01 |url-access=limited |access-date=December 29, 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

U.S. Secretary of Defense [[Robert Gates]] released a statement following the vote indicating that the planning for implementation of a policy repeal would begin right away and would continue until Gates certified that conditions were met for orderly repeal of the policy.<ref>{{cite press release|title=Statement by Secretary Robert Gates on Senate Vote to Repeal 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' |url=http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=14154 |publisher=United States Department of Defense |date=December 18, 2010 |access-date=December 19, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101224204231/http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=14154 |archive-date=December 24, 2010  }}</ref> President Obama signed the repeal into law on December 22, 2010.<ref name="Obama_Signed" />

===Implementation of repeal===
The repeal act established a process for ending the DADT policy. The President, the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff were required to certify in writing that they had reviewed the Pentagon's report on the effects of DADT repeal, that the appropriate regulations had been reviewed and drafted, and that implementation of repeal regulations "is consistent with the standards of military readiness, military effectiveness, unit cohesion, and recruiting and retention of the Armed Forces". Once certification was given, DADT would be lifted after a 60-day waiting period.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20141211155056/http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:S.4023: Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010]</ref>

Representative [[Duncan D. Hunter]] announced plans in January 2011 to introduce a bill designed to delay the end of DADT. His proposed legislation required all of the chiefs of the armed services to submit the certification at the time required only of the President, Defense Secretary and Joint Chiefs chairman.<ref>Maze, Rick (January 14, 2011). [http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2011/01/military-bill-to-delay-dadt-repeal-011411w/ "New bill seeks to slow DADT repeal"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110120011130/http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2011/01/military-bill-to-delay-dadt-repeal-011411w/ |date=January 20, 2011 }}, ''Marine Corps Times'': Retrieved February 14, 2012</ref> In April, Perkins of the Family Research Council argued that the Pentagon was misrepresenting its own survey data and that hearings by the House Armed Services Committee, now under Republican control, could persuade Obama to withhold certification.<ref>Tony Perkins, (April 19, 2011). [https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/its-not-too-late-to-block-the-repeal-of-dont-ask-dont-tell/ "It's Not Too Late to Block the Repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'"], Fox News: Retrieved April 4, 2012</ref> Congressional efforts to prevent the change in policy from going into effect continued into May and June 2011.<ref>Stars and Stripes: [http://www.stripes.com/news/pacific/house-panel-votes-to-delay-repeal-of-don-t-ask-don-t-tell-1.143370 "House panel votes to delay repeal of 'don't ask, don't tell'"], May 12, 2011. Retrieved January 11, 2012; Shane, Leo III (June 16, 2011). [http://www.stripes.com/blogs/stripes-central/stripes-central-1.8040/lawmakers-want-obama-to-halt-dadt-repeal-1.146760 "Lawmakers want Obama to halt DADT repeal"], Stars and Stripes: Retrieved January 11, 2012</ref>

On January 29, 2011, Pentagon officials stated that the training process to prepare troops for the end of DADT would begin in February and would proceed quickly, though they suggested that it might not be completed in 2011.<ref>{{cite news|title=Military lays out plan to implement gay ban repeal|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/military/2011-01-29-repeal-implementation_N.htm|access-date=December 29, 2012|newspaper=USA Today|date=January 29, 2011}}</ref> On the same day, the DOD announced it would not offer any additional compensation to service members who had been discharged under DADT, who received half of the separation pay other honorably discharged service members received.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.aclu.org/lgbt-rights/defense-department-says-it-will-deny-full-separation-pay-gay-and-lesbian-service-members|title = Defense Department Says It Will Deny Full Separation Pay For Gay And Lesbian Service Members Honorably Discharged Under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"|publisher = [[American Civil Liberties Union]]|date = January 29, 2011}}</ref>

In May 2011, the U.S. Army reprimanded three colonels for performing a skit in March 2011 at a function at [[Yongsan Garrison]], South Korea, that mocked the repeal.<ref>Gould, Joe (May 23, 2011). [http://www.armytimes.com/news/2011/05/army-3-colonels-punished-over-skit-mocking-gays-052311w/ "3 colonels punished over skit mocking gays"], ''[[Military Times]]'': Retrieved February 14, 2012</ref>

In May 2011, revelations that an April Navy memo relating to its DADT training guidelines contemplated allowing same-sex weddings in base chapels and allowing [[United States military chaplains|chaplains]] to officiate if they so chose resulted in a letter of protest from 63 Republican congressman, citing the [[Defense of Marriage Act]] (DOMA) as controlling the use of federal property.<ref>Dwyer, Devin (May 10, 2011). [https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/dont-navy-oks-bases-chaplains-sex-marriages-repeal/story?id=13570191 "'Don't Ask, Don't Tell': Navy OKs Bases, Chaplains for Same-Sex Marriages After Repeal"], ABC News: Retrieved February 21, 2012</ref> Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council said the guidelines "make it even more uncomfortable for men and women of faith to perform their duties".<ref>{{cite news|last=Eckholm|first=Erik|title=Navy Rescinds Guidelines For Same-Sex Marriages|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/12/us/12navy.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220101/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/12/us/12navy.html |archive-date=2022-01-01 |url-access=limited|access-date=December 29, 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=May 11, 2011}}{{cbignore}}</ref> A Pentagon spokesperson replied that DOMA "does not limit the type of religious ceremonies a chaplain may perform in a chapel on a military installation", and a Navy spokesperson said that "A chaplain can conduct a same-sex ceremony if it is in the tenets of his faith".<ref>Keyes, Charley (May 9, 2011). [https://archive.today/20120701121338/http://articles.cnn.com/2011-05-09/us/navy.same.sex.marriage_1_chaplains-marriages-or-civil-unions-navy-times "Navy plan to allow same-sex marriage on bases draws opposition"], CNN: Retrieved February 21, 2012</ref> A few days later the Navy rescinded its earlier instructions "pending additional legal and policy review and interdepartmental coordination".<ref>Dwyer, Devin (May 11, 2011). [https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/dont-navy-scraps-rules-gay-marriages-republicans-protest/story?id=13578162 "Navy Scraps Rules on Gay Marriages After GOP Protest"], ABC News: Retrieved 21 February 2011.</ref>

While waiting for certification, several service members were discharged at their own insistence<ref name="Still_discharges"/> until a July 6 ruling from a federal appeals court barred further enforcement of the U.S. military's ban on openly gay service members,<ref name="Judged_Halts"/> which the military promptly did.<ref>Tighman, Andrew (July 8, 2011). ''Army Times'': [http://www.armytimes.com/news/2011/07/military-DADT-Pentagon-court-ruling-070811w/ "Pentagon suspends DADT in wake of court ruling"]. Retrieved July 11, 2011.</ref>

Anticipating the lifting of DADT, some active duty service members wearing civilian clothes marched in [[San Diego Pride|San Diego's gay pride parade]] on July 16. The DOD noted that participation "does not constitute a declaration of sexual orientation".<ref>Marty Graham, (July 16, 2011). [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-gay-parade-military-idUSTRE76G00M20110717 "Military members march for San Diego gay pride"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015220643/http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/17/us-gay-parade-military-idUSTRE76G00M20110717 |date=October 15, 2015 }}, Reuters: Retrieved February 17, 2012.</ref>

[[Barack Obama|President Obama]], Secretary of Defense [[Leon Panetta]], and Admiral [[Michael Mullen|Mike Mullen]], Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, sent the certification required by the Repeal Act to Congress on July 22, 2011, setting the end of DADT for September 20, 2011.<ref>{{cite news|title=Obama, Pentagon Certify End of Gay Ban Won't Harm Military|publisher=Bloomberg News|date=July 22, 2011|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-07-22/obama-pentagon-certify-end-of-gay-ban-won-t-harm-military-1-.html |first1=Viola |last1=Gienger |first2=Flavia |last2=Krause-Jackson |access-date=July 22, 2011}}</ref> A Pentagon spokesman said that service members discharged under DADT would be able to re-apply to rejoin the military then.<ref>{{cite news|title=Gone in 60 Days |magazine=[[Metro Weekly]]|date=July 22, 2011|url=http://metroweekly.com/news/?ak=6452 |first= Chris |last=Geidner |access-date=July 22, 2011}}</ref>

At the end of August 2011, the DOD approved the distribution of the magazine produced by [[OutServe]], an organization of gay and lesbian service members, at Army and Air Force base exchanges beginning with the September 20 issue, coinciding with the end of DADT.<ref>''Stars and Stripes'': Shane, Leo III (August 30, 2011). [http://www.stripes.com/blogs/stripes-central/stripes-central-1.8040/gay-military-magazine-to-land-at-army-af-bases-1.153685 "Gay military magazine to land at Army, AF bases"]. Retrieved February 17, 2012.</ref>

On September 20, Air Force officials announced that 22 Air Force Instructions were "updated as a result of the repeal of DADT".<ref>''The Atlantic'': [http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/mt/assets/steve_clemons/Repeal%20of%20DADT.pdf "Memorandum"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120105175738/http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/mt/assets/steve_clemons/Repeal%20of%20DADT.pdf |date=January 5, 2012 }}, September 20, 2011. Retrieved February 3, 2012.</ref> On September 30, 2011, the Department of Defense modified regulations to reflect the repeal by deleting "homosexual conduct" as a ground for administrative separation.<ref>{{cite web|title=NUMBER 1332.14|publisher=United States Department of Defense|date=September 30, 2011|url=http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/133214p.pdf|access-date=October 1, 2011|archive-date=October 26, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111026062918/http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/133214p.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Belkin|first=Aaron|author2=Ender, Morten G. |title=Readiness and DADT Repeal: Has the New Policy of Open Service Undermined the Military?|journal=Armed Forces & Society|volume=39|issue=4|pages=587|year=2013|doi=10.1177/0095327X12466248|s2cid=145357049|display-authors=etal}}</ref>

===Day of repeal and aftermath===
[[File:DADT28.jpg|thumb|right|300px|[[US Navy]] LT [[Gary C. Ross]] marries Dan Swezy, becoming the first active member of the U.S. military to legally marry a same-sex partner.]]

On the eve of repeal, US Air Force 1st Lt. [[JD Smith (pseudonym)|Josh Seefried]], one of the founders of [[OutServe]], an organization of LGBT troops, revealed his identity after two years of hiding behind a pseudonym.<ref>''Daily Beast'': [http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/09/19/don-t-ask-don-t-tell-ends-a-gay-soldier-comes-out.html Josh Seefried, "I am a Gay Airman"], September 19, 2011. Retrieved January 29, 2012.</ref> Senior Airman [[Randy Phillips (airman)|Randy Phillips]], after conducting a social media campaign seeking encouragement coming out and already out to his military co-workers, came out to his father on the evening of September 19. His video of their conversation made him, in one journalist's estimation, "the poster boy for the DADT repeal".<ref name="huffmom">The Huffington Post: [https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/29/airman-comes-out-to-mother_n_988047.html "Randy Phillips, Gay Airman, Comes Out To Mom On YouTube"], September 29, 2011. Retrieved January 9, 2012.</ref> The moment the repeal took effect at midnight on September 19, US Navy Lt. [[Gary C. Ross]] married his same-sex partner of eleven and a half years, Dan Swezy, making them the first same-sex military couple to legally marry in the United States.<ref>{{cite news|last=Mak|first=Tim|title=Post-'don't ask', gay Navy Lt. marries|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2011/09/post-dont-ask-gay-navy-lt-marries-063909|access-date=October 3, 2011 |newspaper=Politico |date=September 20, 2011}}</ref> Retired Rear Adm. [[Alan M. Steinman]] became the highest-ranking person to come out immediately following the end of DADT.<ref>Thomas Francis, [https://web.archive.org/web/20200814112706/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/44607673 "On base, 'don't ask, don't tell' demise is cause for celebration"], NBC News: September 21, 2011. Retrieved January 28, 2012.</ref> HBO produced a [[World of Wonder (production company)|World of Wonder]] documentary, ''The Strange History of Don't Ask, Don't Tell'', and premiered it on September 20. ''Variety'' called it "an unapologetic piece of liberal advocacy" and "a testament to what formidable opponents ignorance and prejudice can be".<ref>Brian Lowry, [https://www.variety.com/review/VE1117946143 "The Strange History of Don't Ask, Don't Tell"], ''Variety'', September 18, 2011. Retrieved January 29, 2012. See also Internet Movie Database: [[IMDbTitle:2066128|"The Strange History of Don't Ask, Don't Tell (2011)"]]. A private showing in San Francisco for OutServe preceded the public premiere. Retrieved January 29, 2012.</ref> Discharge proceedings on the grounds of homosexuality, some begun years earlier, came to an end.<ref>Dwyer, Devin (September 20, 2011). [https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2011/09/dont-ask-dont-tell-repeal-spares-decorated-veteran-air-force-aviator/ "'Don't Ask Don't Tell' Repeal Spares Decorated Air Force Aviator"], ABC News: Retrieved January 31, 2012</ref>

[[File:USS Oak Hill (LSD 51) First Kiss 111221-N-JP983-008.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Petty Officer 2nd Class Marissa Gaeta of the {{USS|Oak Hill|LSD-51}} shares the traditional "first kiss" with her fiancée, Petty Officer 3rd Class Citlalic Snell, December 23, 2011.]]

In the weeks that followed, a series of firsts attracted press attention to the impact of the repeal. The Marine Corps were the first branch of the armed services to recruit from the LGBTQ community.<ref name="Marine Corps first to recruit from the LGBTQ community">{{Cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/21/us/marine-recruiters-visit-gay-center-in-oklahoma.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220101/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/21/us/marine-recruiters-visit-gay-center-in-oklahoma.html |archive-date=2022-01-01 |url-access=limited |title=Marines Hit the Ground Running in Seeking Recruits at Gay Center |last= Bumiller |first= Elisabeth |date=September 20, 2011 |website=The New York Times |access-date=December 30, 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Reservist Jeremy Johnson became the first person discharged under DADT to re-enlist.<ref>Jennifer Rizzo, (September 24, 2011). [https://archive.today/20120708001018/http://articles.cnn.com/2011-09-24/us/us_dadt-sailor-re-enlists_1_repeal-bill-sailor-openly-gay-man "Discharged gay sailor re-enlists in Navy Reserves"], CNN: Retrieved January 27, 2012</ref> [[Jase Daniels]] became the first to return to active duty, re-joining the Navy as a third class petty officer.<ref>Fellman, Sam (December 12, 2011). [http://www.navytimes.com/news/2011/12/navy-twice-discharged-sailor-daniels-reinstated-121211/ "Twice-discharged gay sailor reinstated"], ''Navy Times''. Retrieved January 29, 2012.</ref> On December 2, Air Force intelligence officer Ginger Wallace became the first open LGBT service member to have a same-sex partner participate in the "pinning-on" ceremony that marked her promotion to colonel.<ref>Chris Johnson, (December 1, 2011). [http://www.washingtonblade.com/2011/12/01/pinning-on-ceremony-big-deal-for-lesbian-couple-2/ "'Pinning-on' ceremony 'big deal' for lesbian couple"], ''Washington Blade'': Retrieved January 28, 2012; Parrish, Karen (January 25, 2012). [https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/id/66924/ "Colonel 'Proud, Humbled' to Represent Gay, Lesbian Troops"], Department of Defense: Retrieved January 27, 2012</ref> On December 23, after 80 days at sea, US Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Marissa Gaeta won the right to the traditional "first kiss" upon returning to port and shared it with her same-sex partner.<ref>{{Cite news |agency=Associated Press |date=2011-12-21 |title=Two women share historic kiss at US Navy ship's return |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/dec/21/two-women-kiss-navy-pier |access-date=June 27, 2024 |newspaper=The Guardian |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> On January 20, 2012, U.S. service members deployed to [[Bagram]], [[Afghanistan]], produced a video in support of the [[It Gets Better Project]], which aims to support LGBT at-risk youth.<ref>Murray, Rheana (January 23, 2012). [http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/lgbt-service-members-afghanistan-post-better-video-encourage-youth-bullied-sexuality-article-1.1010451 "LGBT servicemembers in Afghanistan post 'It Gets Better' video to encourage youth bullied because of sexuality"], ''Daily News'' (New York). Retrieved January 27, 2012.</ref> Widespread news coverage continued even months after the repeal date, when a photograph of Marine Sgt. Brandon Morgan kissing his partner at a February 22, 2012, homecoming celebration on [[Marine Corps Base Hawaii]] went [[Viral video|viral]].<ref>''Miami Herald'': Rothaus, Steve (February 28, 2012). [http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2012/02/marine-partner-reflect-on-gay-kiss-seen-around-the-globe-the-world-went-away-for-a-few-minutes.html "Gay marine, partner reflect on first kiss seen around the globe: 'The world went away for a few minutes'"]. Retrieved March 1, 2012; MSNBC: [https://web.archive.org/web/20120302193451/http://video.msnbc.msn.com/msnbc-tv/46574131 "Marine in gay kiss photo: Breaking stereotypes a 'good feeling'"], February 28, 2012. Retrieved March 1, 2012.</ref> When asked for a comment, a spokesperson for the Marine Corps said: "It's your typical homecoming photo."<ref>Rowan Scarborough, (March 1, 2012). [http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/mar/1/gay-marines-kiss-sparks-praise-anger/ "Gay Marine’s kiss sparks praise, anger"], ''The Washington Times''. Retrieved March 1, 2012.</ref>

On September 30, 2011, Under Secretary of Defense [[Clifford L. Stanley]] announced the DOD's policy that military chaplains are allowed to perform same-sex marriages "on or off a military installation" where local law permits them. His memo noted that "a chaplain is not required to participate in or officiate a private ceremony if doing so would be in variance with the tenets of his or her religion" and "a military chaplain's participation in a private ceremony does not constitute an endorsement of the ceremony by DoD".<ref>Keyes, Charley (September 30, 2011). [https://archive.today/20120707160432/http://articles.cnn.com/2011-09-30/us/us_same-sex-marriage-military_1_military-chaplains-marriage-act-military-installation "Military chaplains allowed to perform same-sex weddings"], CNN: Retrieved February 21, 2012</ref> Some religious groups announced that their chaplains would not participate in such weddings, including an organization of evangelical Protestants, the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty<ref>Stanley, Paul (October 6, 2011). [http://www.christianpost.com/news/evangelical-chaplains-refuse-to-marry-gay-couples-on-military-bases-57498/ "Evangelical Chaplains Refuse to Marry Gay Couples on Military Bases"], ''The Christian Post'': Retrieved March 3, 2012</ref> and Roman Catholics led by Archbishop [[Timothy P. Broglio]] of the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA|Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA]].<ref>Andrew Tilghman, (September 30, 2011). [http://www.armytimes.com/news/2011/09/military-same-sex-weddings-church-opposes-093011w/ "Church leader opposes DoD on same-sex weddings"], ''Army Times''. Retrieved March 5, 2012.</ref>

In late October 2011, speaking at the [[United States Air Force Academy|Air Force Academy]], Colonel Gary Packard, leader of the team that drafted the DOD's repeal implementation plan, said: "The best quote I've heard so far is, 'Well, some people's Facebook status changed, but that was about it.{{'"}}<ref>U.S. Air Force Academy: [https://www.usafa.af.mil/news/story?id=123275359 Don Branum, "Academy experts discuss effects of DADT repeal"], October 25, 2011. Retrieved February 17, 2012.</ref> In late November, discussing the repeal of DADT and its implementation, Marine General [[James F. Amos]] said "I'm very pleased with how it has gone" and called it a "non-event". He said his earlier public opposition was appropriate based on ongoing combat operations and the negative assessment of the policy given by 56% of combat troops under his command in the Department of Defense's November 2010 survey. A Defense Department spokesperson said implementation of repeal occurred without incident and added: "We attribute this success to our comprehensive pre-repeal training program, combined with the continued close monitoring and enforcement of standards by our military leaders at all levels."<ref>Burns, Robert (November 28, 2011). [https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/28/dont-ask-dont-tell-marines_n_1115778.html "Don't Ask Don't Tell: Top Marine Says Service Embracing Gay Ban Repeal"], ''Huffington Post''. Retrieved January 31, 2012.</ref>

In December 2011, Congress considered two DADT-related amendments in the course of work on the [[National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012|National Defense Authorization Act for 2012]]. The Senate approved 97–3, an amendment removing the prohibition on sodomy found in [[Uniform Code of Military Justice#Punitive articles|Article 125]] of the [[Uniform Code of Military Justice]] as recommended by the Comprehensive Review Working Group (CRWG) a year earlier.<ref name="sodomyban">Geidner, Chris (December 12, 2011). [http://metroweekly.com/poliglot/2011/12/defense-bill-conference-report.html "Defense Bill Conference Report Strips Anti-Gay House Language, Keeps Military Sodomy Ban"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120109071557/http://metroweekly.com/poliglot/2011/12/defense-bill-conference-report.html |date=January 9, 2012 }}, ''Metro Weekly'': Retrieved February 20, 2012</ref><ref>Article 125's prohibition against bestiality was included in its definition of sodomy. House Republicans, the [[Family Research Council]], and [[People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals]] objected to the removal of "unnatural carnal copulation&nbsp;... with an animal" from Article 125, not "unnatural carnal copulation with another person of the same or opposite sex". See: Herb, Jeremy (December 9, 2011). [https://thehill.com/policy/defense/181093-repeal-of-sodomy-bestiality-ban-sparks-fight-on-defense-bill/ "Repeal of sodomy, bestiality ban sparks fight on Defense bill"], ''The Hill'': Retrieved February 20, 2012: "The Pentagon, however, says that even if the article in the military code was repealed, having sex with animals would still be covered under different statutes. 'It is difficult to envision a situation where a service member engages in sexual conduct with an animal that would not be conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline or service-discrediting,' said Defense spokesman Lt. Col. Todd Breasseale."</ref> The House approved an amendment banning same-sex marriages from being performed at military bases or by military employees, including chaplains and other employees of the military when "acting in an official capacity". Neither amendment appeared in the final legislation.<ref name=sodomyban />

In July 2012, the Department of Defense granted permission for military personnel to wear their uniforms while participating in the San Diego Pride Parade. This was the first time that U.S. military personnel were permitted to wear their service uniforms in such a parade.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2012/07/20/u-s-military-can-wear-uniform-in-san-diego-gay-pride-parade-defense-department/|title=U.S. military can wear uniform in San Diego gay pride parade: Defense Department|date=July 20, 2012|agency=CNN|access-date=March 26, 2013|archive-date=July 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210715133803/https://security.blogs.cnn.com/2012/07/20/u-s-military-can-wear-uniform-in-san-diego-gay-pride-parade-defense-department/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Marking the first anniversary of the passage of the Repeal Act, television news networks reported no incidents in the three months since DADT ended. One aired video of a social gathering for gay service members at a base in Afghanistan.<ref>NBC Nightly News: [https://archive.today/20120908124545/http://www.nbc.com/news-sports/msnbc-video/2011/12/no-incidents-reported-since-dadt-repealed/ "No incidents reported since DADT repealed"], December 21, 2011. Retrieved March 3, 2012.</ref> Another reported on the experience of lesbian and gay troops, including some rejection after coming out to colleagues.<ref>Tejada, Alicia (December 24, 2011). [https://abcnews.go.com/US/frontlines-us-soldiers-reflect/story?id=15228953 "'Out' on the Front Lines: Troops Reflect on 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'"], ABC News: Retrieved March 3, 2012</ref>

The Palm Center, a [[think tank]] that studies issues of sexuality and the military, released a study in September 2012 that found no negative consequences, nor any effect on military effectiveness from DADT repeal. This study began six months following repeal and concluded at the one year mark. The study included surveys of 553 generals and admirals who had opposed repeal, experts who supported DADT, and more than 60 heterosexual, gay, lesbian and bisexual active duty service personnel.<ref>{{cite news|last=Shapiro|first=Lila|title=Don't Ask Don't Tell Study Shows No Negative Effects On Military One Year After Repeal|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/10/dont-ask-dont-tell-study_n_1868892.html|work=HuffPost|access-date=September 10, 2012|date=September 10, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Belkin|first=Aaron|author2=Morton Ender|title=Readiness and DADT Repeal: Has the New Policy of Open Service Undermined the Military?|journal=Armed Forces & Society|volume=39|issue=4|pages=587|year=2013|doi=10.1177/0095327X12466248|s2cid=145357049}}</ref>

On January 7, 2013, the ACLU reached a settlement with the federal government in ''Collins v. United States''. It provided for the payment of full separation pay to service members discharged under DADT since November 10, 2004, who had previously been granted only half that.<ref>{{cite news|last=Geidner|first=Chris|title=Servicemembers Kicked Out Under Military's Gay Ban Since '04 To Receive Full Separation Pay|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/chrisgeidner/servicemembers-kicked-out-under-militarys-gay-ban|access-date=January 7, 2013|newspaper=Buzz Feed|date=January 7, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130109011201/http://www.buzzfeed.com/chrisgeidner/servicemembers-kicked-out-under-militarys-gay-ban|archive-date=January 9, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==2012 presidential campaign issue==
Several candidates for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination called for the restoration of DADT, including [[Michele Bachmann]],<ref>''Colorado Independent'': [http://coloradoindependent.com/101540/bachmann-says-gay-soldiers-will-destroy-military-dad Andy Birkey, "Openly gay soldiers may destroy military, Bachmann says"], October 5, 2011. Retrieved January 30, 2012.</ref> [[Rick Perry]],<ref>ABC News: [https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2011/11/perry-prefers-dadt-says-obama-should-have-overthrown-iran-regime/ Arlette Saenz, "Perry Prefers DADT, Says Obama Should Have Overthrown Iran Regime"], November 8, 2011. Retrieved January 30, 2012.</ref> and [[Rick Santorum]].<ref>NPR: [https://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/09/23/140732553/boos-heard-at-gop-debate-after-gay-soldier-asks-about-dont-ask Mark Memmott, "Boos Heard At GOP Debate After Gay Soldier Asks About 'Don't Ask'"], September 23, 2011. Retrieved January 30, 2012. See also: [https://www.foxnews.com/politics/santorum-race-homosexuality-not-comparable-measures-for-military-service/ "Santorum: Race, Homosexuality Not Comparable Measures for Military Service"], Fox News: October 9, 2011. Retrieved January 30, 2012.</ref> [[Newt Gingrich]] called for an extensive review of DADT's repeal.<ref>[http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/dec/11/gingrich-tough-on-women-gays-in-military/ Rowan Scarborough, "Gingrich tough on women, gays in military"], ''The Washington Times''. December 11, 2011. Retrieved January 30, 2012.</ref>

[[Ron Paul]], having voted for the Repeal Act, maintained his support for allowing military service by open homosexuals.<ref>Johnson, Luke (October 26, 2011). [https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/26/ron-paul-gays-military-dadt_n_1032990.html "Ron Paul: Heterosexuals 'Causing More Trouble Than Gays' In The Military"], ''Huffington Post'': Retrieved January 30, 2012</ref> [[Herman Cain]] called the issue "a distraction" and opposed reinstating DADT.<ref>Johnson, Chris (October 20, 2011). [http://www.washingtonblade.com/2011/10/20/rising-cain/ "Raising Cain"]. ''Washington Blade'': Retrieved January 30, 2012</ref> [[Mitt Romney]] said that the winding down of military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan obviated his opposition to the repeal and said he was not proposing any change to policy.<ref>Military Culture Coalition: [http://www.militaryculturecoalition.com/content/home/32812/ Romney Endorses Gays-In-Military (LGBT) Law; Gingrich Opposed"], December 12, 2011. Retrieved January 30, 2012.</ref>

On September 22, 2011, the audience at a Republican candidates' debate booed a U.S. soldier posted in Iraq who asked a question via video about the repeal of DADT, and none of the candidates acknowledged or responded to the crowd's behavior.<ref>Wolf, Z. Byron (September 23, 2011). [https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2011/09/debate-crowd-booed-gay-soldier/ "Debate Crowd Booed Gay Soldier"], ABC News: Retrieved February 13, 2012</ref> Two days later, Obama commented on the incident while addressing a dinner of the [[Human Rights Campaign]]: "You want to be commander in chief? You can start by standing up for the men and women who wear the uniform of the United States, even when it's not politically convenient".<ref>[https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna44744458 "Obama: Don't stand silent when soldier is booed"], NBC News: October 1, 2011. Retrieved February 13, 2012.</ref>

In June 2012, Rep. [[Howard McKeon]], Republican chair of the House Armed Services Committee, said he considered the repeal of DADT a settled issue, and that if Romney became president he would not advocate its reinstatement, though others in his party might.<ref>Fox News: [https://www.foxnews.com/politics/gop-lawmaker-says-dont-ask-dont-tell-repeal-is-settled-issue/ "GOP lawmaker says 'don't ask, don't tell' repeal is settled issue"], June 21, 2012. Retrieved July 14, 2012.</ref>

==2021 benefits restoration==

In September 2021, on the 10th anniversary of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell repeal, President [[Joe Biden]] announced that the Veterans Administration would start providing benefits for service members who received other-than-honorable discharges (before DADT was enacted and while it was in effect) because of their sexual orientation.<ref>{{cite news |first=Quil |last=Lawrence |url = https://www.npr.org/2021/09/20/1039071130/veterans-discharged-under-dont-ask-dont-tell-are-now-eligible-for-va-benefits |title = Veterans Discharged Under 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' Get A Chance For VA Benefits |publisher = NPR |date=September 20, 2021 |access-date=October 19, 2025}}</ref>

In 2024, more than 800 veterans who had been previously dishonorably discharged under DADT had their cases reviewed and discharge papers automatically updated to honorable discharge status. With this review, nearly all of the 13,500 people who were dishonorably discharged under DADT now have an honorable discharge and as a result, can access benefits for veterans.<ref>{{Cite news |first=Sam |last=Cabral |title=Hundreds of LGBT veterans given honourable discharges from US military |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c20jdze9qdpo |date=October 15, 2024 |access-date=October 16, 2024 |agency=BBC News}}</ref>

==Views of the policy==
===Public opinion===
[[File:Everyone Joins the Soulforce Sit-In.jpeg|thumb|Protest in New York by [[Soulforce (organization)|Soulforce]], a civil rights group.]]

In 1993, ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' reported that 44% of those polled supported openly gay service members,<ref>Mark Thompson (July 12, 2010). [https://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2003075,00.html "Why Is the Military Polling the Troops About Gays?"]. ''Time''.</ref> and in 1994, a CNN poll indicated 53% of Americans believed gays and lesbians should be permitted to serve openly.<ref>Paul Steinhauser, [https://web.archive.org/web/20100225214400/http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/02/22/cnn-poll-69-ok-with-gays-in-the-military/ CNN Poll: 69% OK with gays in the military]. [[CNN]]. February 22, 2010.</ref>

According to a December 2010 ''[[Washington Post]]''–[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] poll, 77% of Americans said gays and lesbians who publicly disclose their sexual orientation should be able to serve in the military. That number showed little change from polls over the previous two years, but represented the highest level of support in a Post-ABC poll. The support also cut across partisan and ideological lines, with majorities of Democrats (86%), Republicans (74%), independents (74%), liberals (92%), conservatives (67%), white evangelical Protestants (70%) and non-religious (84%) in favor of homosexuals serving openly.<ref>{{cite news|last=O'Keefe |first=Ed |url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2010/12/most_back_repealing_dont_ask_d.html |title=Most back repealing 'don't ask, don't tell,' poll says |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=December 15, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211116023139/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2010/12/most_back_repealing_dont_ask_d.html |archive-date=November 16, 2021 |access-date=December 19, 2010}}</ref>

A November 2010 survey by the [[Pew Research Center]] found that 58% of the U.S. public favored allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military, while less than half as many (27%) were opposed.<ref>Pew Research Center: [http://people-press.org/report/679/ "Most Continue to Favor Gays Serving Openly in Military", Nov 29, 2010]. Retrieved February 14, 2012.</ref> According to a November 2010 [[CNN]]/[[Opinion Research Corporation]] poll, 72% of adult Americans favored permitting people who are openly gay or lesbian to serve in the military, while 23% opposed it.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/11/17/rel16e.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101121160201/http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/11/17/rel16e.pdf |archive-date=2010-11-21 |url-status=live |title=CNN Opinion Research November 11–14, 2010 |access-date=December 19, 2010}}</ref> "The main difference between the CNN poll and the Pew poll is in the number of respondents who told pollsters that they didn't have an opinion on this topic – 16 percent in the Pew poll compared to only five percent in the CNN survey", said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "The two polls report virtually the same number who say they oppose gays serving openly in the military, which suggests that there are some people who favor that change in policy but for some reason were reluctant to admit that to the Pew interviewers. That happens occasionally on topics where moral issues and equal-treatment issues intersect."<ref>Steinhauser, Paul (November 29, 2010). [https://archive.today/20120721043037/http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/11/29/poll-majority-support-gays-serving-openly-in-military/ "Poll: Majority support gays serving openly in military"], CNN Political Ticker: Retrieved February 14, 2012</ref>

A February 2010 [[Quinnipiac University Polling Institute]] national poll showed 57% of American voters favored gays serving openly, compared to 36% opposed, while 66% said not allowing openly gay personnel to serve is discrimination, compared to 31% who did not see it as discrimination.<ref>Quinnipiac University: [https://archive.today/20120805133053/http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x1284.xml?ReleaseID=1422& "U.S. Voters Say Gays In Military Should Come Out, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds"], February 10, 2010. Retrieved February 14, 2012.</ref> A [[CBS News]]/''[[The New York Times]]'' national poll done at the same time showed 58% of Americans favored gays serving openly, compared to 28% opposed.<ref>CBS News: [https://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/poll_021110_2pm.pdf "Gays in the military"], February 11, 2010. Retrieved February 14, 2012.</ref>

===Chaplains and religious groups===
Chaplain groups and religious organizations took various positions on DADT. Some felt that the policy needed to be withdrawn to make the military more inclusive. The [[Southern Baptist Convention]] battled the repeal of DADT, warning that their endorsements for chaplains might be withdrawn if the repeal took place.<ref>[http://www.zimbio.com/Gay+and+Lesbian+Rights/articles/wZNA33qCpho/Baptists+Catholics+Threaten+Withdraw+Chaplains "Baptists, Catholics Threaten to Withdraw Chaplains Over DADT", November 1, 2010]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011195552/http://www.zimbio.com/Gay%2Band%2BLesbian%2BRights/articles/wZNA33qCpho/Baptists%2BCatholics%2BThreaten%2BWithdraw%2BChaplains |date=October 11, 2012 }}. Retrieved February 16, 2012.</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/18/AR2010061804890.html | newspaper=The Washington Post | first=Adelle M. | last=Banks | title=Southern Baptists Convention fighting 'don't ask, don't tell' repeal | date=June 19, 2010}}</ref> They took the position that allowing gay men and women to serve in the military without restriction would have a negative impact on the ability of chaplains who think homosexuality is a sin to speak freely regarding their religious beliefs. The [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic Church]] called for the retention of the policy, but had no plans to withdraw its priests from serving as military chaplains.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/18/AR2010061804890.html |title=Southern Baptists Convention fighting 'don't ask, don't tell' repeal |newspaper=The Washington Post |date= June 18, 2010|access-date=October 13, 2010}}</ref> Sixty-five retired chaplains signed a letter opposing repeal, stating that repeal would make it impossible for chaplains whose faith teaches that same-sex behavior is immoral to minister to military service members.<ref>[http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/oct/31/retired-chaplains-back-dont-ask/ "Retired chaplains back 'don't ask'"], ''The Washington Times'' October 31, 2010. Retrieved February 16, 2012.</ref> Other religious organizations and agencies called the repeal of the policy a "non-event" or "non-issue" for chaplains, saying that chaplains have always supported military service personnel, whether or not they agree with all their actions or beliefs.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hrcbackstory.org/2010/04/religious-organizations-support-%E2%80%9Cdon%E2%80%99t-ask-don%E2%80%99t-tell%E2%80%9D-repeal |title=HRC Back Story, April 28, 2010 |publisher=Hrcbackstory.org |date=April 28, 2010 |access-date=October 13, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101019042618/http://www.hrcbackstory.org/2010/04/religious-organizations-support-%E2%80%9Cdon%E2%80%99t-ask-don%E2%80%99t-tell%E2%80%9D-repeal/ |archive-date=October 19, 2010  }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sldn.org/blog/archives/bishop-robinsons-letter-exposes-empty-arguments-of-repeal-opponents |title=Servicemembers Legal Defense Network |publisher=Sldn.org |date=August 4, 2010 |access-date=October 13, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101010012335/http://www.sldn.org/blog/archives/bishop-robinsons-letter-exposes-empty-arguments-of-repeal-opponents/ |archive-date=October 10, 2010  }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Resnicoff |first=Arnold E. |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/forum/2010-07-12-column12_ST_N.htm |title=If gays serve openly, will chaplains suffer? No, the mission is to serve all troops. |author-link=Rabbi Arnold E. Resnicoff |newspaper=USA Today |date=July 12, 2010 |access-date=October 13, 2010}}</ref>

==Discharges under DADT==
After the policy was introduced in 1993, the military discharged over 13,000 troops from the military under DADT.<ref name="MSN-MilitaryView"/><ref name="ObamaEnd">{{cite news|url=http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=60043|title=Stars and Stripes: Obama Wants to End "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" |last=Shane|first=Leo|date=January 16, 2009|newspaper=[[Stars and Stripes (newspaper)|Stars and Stripes]]|publisher=[[U.S. Department of Defense]]|access-date=January 21, 2009}}</ref><ref>[https://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2009/05/20/continued_discharges_anger_dont_ask_dont_tell_critics/ Continued discharges anger 'don't ask, don't tell' critics: Gay-rights groups urge reversal now] Bryan Bender, ''Boston Globe''; May 20, 2009.</ref> The number of discharges per fiscal year under DADT dropped sharply after the [[September 11 attacks]] and remained comparatively low through to the repeal. Discharges exceeded 600 every year until 2009.{{citation needed|date=October 2025}}

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! [[United States Coast Guard|Coast Guard]]
! [[United States Marine Corps|Marines]]
! [[United States Navy|Navy]]
! [[United States Army|Army]]
! [[United States Air Force|Air Force]]
! Total
|-
| 1994<ref name="sldn">[[Servicemembers Legal Defense Network]] – Annual Gay Discharges Under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Pursue, Don't Harass"</ref>  ||  0 ||  36 || 258 || 136 || 187 ||  617
|-
| 1995<ref name="sldn"/>  || 15 ||  69 || 269 || 184 || 235 ||  772
|-
| 1996<ref name="sldn"/>  || 12 ||  60 || 315 || 199 || 284 ||  870
|-
| 1997<ref name="sldn"/>  || 10 ||  78 || 413 || 197 || 309 || 1,007
|-
| 1998<ref name="sldn"/>  || 14 ||  77 || 345 || 312 || 415 || 1,163
|-
| 1999<ref name="sldn"/>  || 12 ||  97 || 314 || 271 || 352 || 1,046
|-
| 2000<ref name="sldn"/><ref name="sldn2">Individual service numbers from Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, [http://dont.stanford.edu/commentary/9.sldn.2003.pdf "Freedom to Serve"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100705062845/http://dont.stanford.edu/commentary/9.sldn.2003.pdf |date=July 5, 2010 }}</ref>  || 19 || 114 || 358 || 573 || 177 || 1,241
|-
| 2001<ref name="sldn"/><ref name="sldn2"/> || 14 || 115 || 314 || 638 || 217 || 1,273
|-
| 2002<ref name="sldn"/><ref name="sldn2"/> || 29 || 109 || 218 || 429 || 121 ||  906
|-
| 2003<ref name="sldn"/> ||  – ||   – ||   – ||   – ||   – ||  787
|-
| 2004<ref name="365gay">[http://www.365gay.com/Newscon06/05/052406Military.htm 365Gay.com – Military Discharging Two Soldiers Per Day For Being Gay Despite War Group Says]  {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080702214040/http://www.365gay.com/Newscon06/05/052406Military.htm |date=July 2, 2008 }}</ref>  || 15 || 59  || 177 || 325 || 92  ||  668
|-
| 2005<ref name="365gay"/>  || 16 || 75  || 177 || 386 || 88  ||  742
|-
| 2006<ref name="sldn"/> ||  – ||   – ||   – ||   – ||   – ||  623
|-
| 2007<ref name="sldn"/> ||  – ||   – ||   – ||   – ||   – ||  627
|-
| 2008<ref>[https://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2009/05/20/continued_discharges_anger_dont_ask_dont_tell_critics/ Continued discharges anger 'don't ask, don't tell' critics] ''The Boston Globe'', Bryan Bender – May 20, 2009</ref> ||  – ||   – ||   – ||   – ||   – ||  619
|-
| 2009 ||  – ||  – ||   – ||   – ||   – ||  428
|-
| 2010<ref>{{cite web| url = http://advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2011/03/25/261_DADT_Discharges_in_2010/| title = 261 DADT Discharges in 2010| date = March 25, 2011}}</ref> || 11 ||  – ||  – ||  – ||  – || 261
|- class="sortbottom"
| '''Total''' || ≥156 || ≥889 || ≥3,158 || ≥3,650 || ≥2,477 || 13,650
|- class="sortbottom"
|align="left" colspan=7 width=1 | <small><u>Disclaimer</u>: These statistics are not official and only include soldiers who came forward to the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. Because some soldiers do not disclose their discharge, some of the numbers may be inaccurate.</small>
|}
<gallery>
US Navy 110317-N-5469W-016 Rear Adm. Vic Guillory, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command and U.S. 4th Fleet, kicks off the Don't Ask, Don.jpg|Rear Adm. [[Victor G. Guillory|Vic Guillory]], commander of U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command and U.S. 4th Fleet leads DADT repeal training for Tier 2 command leadership at Naval Station Mayport, March 17, 2011
US Navy 110406-N-YS896-005 Naval Special Warfare Command personnel watch Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Gary Roughead during Don't Ask, Don't.jpg|Naval Special Warfare Command personnel watching Chief of Naval Operations Adm. [[Gary Roughead]] during DADT repeal training, April 6, 2011
US Navy 110505-N-UB993-004 Capt. Joel A. Roos conducts Don't Ask Don't Tell (DADT) Repeal training for enlisted, officer and civilian staff of Nava.jpg|DADT Repeal training for enlisted, officer and civilian staff at Naval Medical Center San Diego, May 5, 2011
</gallery>

==State-based gay and lesbian military veteran laws==

In November 2019, both [[Rhode Island]] and [[New York State]] signed into law and implemented restoring military benefits to gay and lesbian military veterans. It is estimated that approximately 100,000 individuals were discharged between the beginning of [[World War II]] and the repeal of the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy in September 2011.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2019/11/rhode-island-new-york-restore-military-benefits-dishonorably-discharged-lgbtq-veterans/|title = Rhode Island & New York restore military benefits to LGBTQ veterans| date=November 13, 2019 }}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|United States|LGBTQ}}
* [[Liberal homophobia]]
* [[Steve May]], gay Republican Arizona legislator, Army reservist until May 2001
* [[Sexual orientation and gender identity in the United States military]]
* [[Sexual orientation and military service]] – for information on policies in military services worldwide
* [[Transgender military ban in the United States]]

==References==
{{Notelist}}

===Citations===
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
* {{cite book| author = Allan Bérubé| title = Coming Out Under Fire: The History of Gay Men and Women in World War Two| year = 1990| publisher = Plume| isbn = 978-0-452-26598-1| url = https://archive.org/details/comingoutunderfi00beru}}
* Allan Bérubé, "How Gay Stays White and What Kind of White It Stays", in ''My Desire for History: Essays in Gay, Community, and Labor History'', John D'Emilio and Estelle B. Freeman, eds. (University of North Carolina Press, 2011)
* {{cite book| author =Elizabeth Drew|title=On the Edge: The Clinton Presidency| url =https://archive.org/details/onedge00drew| url-access =registration|publisher=Simon & Schuster|date=1994|isbn=0671871471|oclc=31077297}}
* Tim McFeeley, "Getting It Straight: A Review of the 'Gays in the Military' Debate", in John D'Emilio, William B. Turner, and Urvashi Vaid, eds., ''Creating Change: Sexuality, Public Policy, and Civil Rights'' (NY: St. Martin's Press, 2000)
* David Mixner, ''Stranger Among Friends'' (NY: Bantam, 1996)
* {{cite book| author = Randy Shilts| title = Conduct Unbecoming: Lesbians and Gays in the U.S. Military : Vietnam to the Persian Gulf| url = https://archive.org/details/conductunbecomin00shilrich| url-access = registration| date = May 1, 1993| publisher = St Martins Press| isbn = 978-0-312-09261-0 }}
* {{cite book|author=Urvashi Vaid|title=Virtual Equality: The Mainstreaming of Gay & Lesbian Liberation|publisher=Anchor Books|date=1995|isbn=0385472986|oclc=32468601|url=https://archive.org/details/virtualequalitym00vaid}}

==Further reading==
{{Library resources box}}
* {{cite journal | last1 = Belkin | first1 = Aaron | year = 2008 | title = 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell': Does the Gay Ban Undermine the Military's Reputation? | journal = [[Armed Forces & Society]] | volume = 34 | issue = 2 | doi = 10.1177/0095327X06294621 | s2cid = 144524502 }}
* Belkin, Aaron (2013). [http://afs.sagepub.com/content/early/2012/12/06/0095327X12466248.abstract Readiness and DADT Repeal: Has the New Policy of Open Service Undermined the Military?] ''[[Armed Forces & Society]]'', Forthcoming&nbsp;... Access OnlineFirst at http://afs.sagepub.com/content/early/2012/12/06/0095327X12466248.abstract
* {{cite journal | last1 = Bowling | first1 = Kirby L. | last2 = Firestone | first2 = Juanita M. | last3 = Harris | first3 = Richard J. | year = 2005 | title = Analyzing Questions That Cannot Be Asked of Respondents Who Cannot Respond | journal = [[Armed Forces & Society]] | volume = 31 | issue =  3 | pages = 411–437 | doi = 10.1177/0095327X0503100305 | s2cid = 146142348 }}
* Carter, Chad C. and Antony B. Kolenc (2005). [http://www.law.udayton.edu/lawreview/documents/31-1/Carter.pdf "'Don't Ask, Don't Tell': Has the Policy Met Its Goals?"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060725113303/http://www.law.udayton.edu/lawreview/documents/31-1/Carter.pdf |date=July 25, 2006 }}, ''University of Dayton Law Review'', Fall 2005
* Huffman, J. Ford and Schultz, Tammy S. (editors) (2012), ''The End of Don't Ask Don't Tell: The Impact in Studies and Personal Essays by Service Members and Veterans'', Marine Corps University
* {{cite journal | last1 = Levy | first1 = Yagil | year = 2007 | title = The Right to Fight: A Conceptual Framework for the Analysis of Recruitment Policy toward Gays and Lesbians | journal = [[Armed Forces & Society]] | volume = 33 | issue =  2 | doi = 10.1177/0095327X06287616 | s2cid = 144959169 }}
* {{cite journal | last1 = Moradi | first1 = Bonnie | last2 = Miller | first2 = Laura | year = 2010 | title = Attitudes of Iraq and Afghanistan War Veterans toward Gay and Lesbian Service Members | journal = [[Armed Forces & Society]] | volume = 36 | issue = 3 | pages = 397–419 | doi = 10.1177/0095327X09352960 | s2cid = 145529543 }}
* {{cite journal | last1 = Schaub | first1 = Gary Jr. | year = 2010 | title = Unit Cohesion and the Impact of DADT | url = http://www.au.af.mil/au/ssq/2010/fall/schaub.pdf | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120910063640/http://www.au.af.mil/au/ssq/2010/fall/schaub.pdf | url-status = dead | archive-date = September 10, 2012 | journal = Strategic Studies Quarterly | volume = 4 | issue = 3| pages = 85–101 }}

==External links==
{{Wikinews category}}
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikiquote}}
{{Wikisource|Category:Don't ask, don't tell}}
* {{USPL|103|160|National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1994}}
* {{UnitedStatesCode|10|654}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120425081637/http://dont.stanford.edu/doclist.html Document Library], Robert Crown Law Library at Stanford Law Library
* [http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=s111-4023 Text of Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4s_kkmwEJY& Elaine Donnelly and Aaron Belkin Debate DADT at Maxwell Air Force Base, summer 2010]
* [http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CHRG-110hhrg44634/pdf/CHRG-110hhrg44634.pdf ''Don't Ask Don't Tell Review''], House of Representatives, Military Personnel Subcommittee, July 23, 2008

{{Don't ask, don't tell}}
{{Queer people and military service in the United States}}
{{LGBTQ rights in the United States}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Don't Ask, Don't Tell}}
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[[Category:Clinton administration controversies]]
[[Category:Clinton administration initiatives]]
[[Category:Censorship of LGBTQ issues]]
[[Category:Discrimination against LGBTQ people in the United States]]
[[Category:LGBTQ military history in the United States]]
[[Category:LGBTQ-related controversies in the United States]]
[[Category:Secrecy]]
[[Category:Sexual orientation and the United States military]]
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[[Category:United States federal defense and national security legislation]]
[[Category:United States military law]]