Username:
Password:
Remember me

close

 

 

 

by Carlos Santoscoy

Washington, DC — A year after the military ended its ban on openly gay troops, the fears of opponents have proved largely unfounded.

"Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the policy which for 18 years banned gay and bisexual troops from serving openly, officially came to an end on September 20, 2011, 9 months after President Barack Obama signed a repeal bill into law.

Since then, we've seen first kisses as troops return home from deployments, service members marching in Gay Pride parades and the Pentagon honoring LGBT troops.

But the gloomy predictions of opponents have not come to pass.

Repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" has had "[N]o overall negative impact on military readiness or its component dimensions, including cohesion, recruitment, retention, assaults, harassment or morale," a study of the repeal's impact released Monday concluded.

The study was conducted by the Palm Center, a think tank at the University of California at Santa Barbara. Its research team includes professors at West Point, the Naval Academy, the Air Force Academy and the Marine Corps War College.

The study's authors did report that a small minority of service members are unhappy with the new policy.

Credit for the smooth transition is given to the Pentagon's "carefully designed implementation and training process."

Article provided in partnership with On Top Magazine

Clapham Junction
More Info | Buy It!

Scrooge & Marley Soundtrack
More Info | Buy It!

Lieutenant Nun: Memoir of a Basque Transvestite in the New World
More Info | Buy It!