Click to view an AP Interactive graphic: Gays in the military
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama signed a new law Wednesday that will allow gays for the first time in history to serve openly in America’s military. And he urged those kicked out under the old law to re-enlist.
President Barack Obama signs the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act of 2010, Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2010, during a ceremony at the Interior Department in Washington. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif. is at center, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nev. is at right. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)Framing the issue as a matter of civil rights long denied, Obama said that “we are a nation that welcomes the service of every patriot … a nation that believes that all men and women are created equal.”
Repealing the 17-year-old policy known as “don’t ask, don’t tell” in a ceremony that was alternately emotional and rousing, the president said “this law I’m about to sign will strengthen our national security and uphold the ideals that our fighting men and women risk their lives to defend.”
The new law ends a policy that forced gays to hide their sexual orientation or face dismissal. More than 13,500 people were discharged under the rule since 1993.