The Pentagon's oft-debated "don't ask, don't tell" policy preventing gay and lesbian soldiers from serving openly in the U.S. military officially ended at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday morning after 17 years. Pentagon press secretary George Little said Monday that the military is prepared for the end of the policy, which took effect in 1993 under President Bill Clinton, and nationwide celebration of the repeal is anticipated. Almost 15,000 troops were discharged under DADT.The Huffington Post spoke with 43 year-old Army lieutenant colonel Todd Burton, stationed in Arlington, Va., on Monday night, "While he described the repeal as "empowering" and "freeing," he also acknowledged that the freedom will "take some getting used to."Many soldiers say gay servicemen and women were always welcome amongst their peers and don't anticipate much change. "In interviews with students at the U.S. Naval Academy, the U.S. Military Academy and the U.S. Air Force Academy," according to The Wall Street Journal, "midshipmen and cadets say the issue of homosexuality is not a flashpoint of controversy for many members of their generation. Academy students who were not yet in their teens when the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks happened and have grown up in a nation at war say competence and character are what matter to them, not sexual orientation."However, despite lifting the threat of discharge for disclosing one's sexual identity, the federal government has not established specific policies regarding benefits."We'll celebrate for about ten minutes and get back to work," said Heather Cronk, managing director of GetEqual, an advocacy group that demands full legal and social equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals (LGBT)."You also still have issues around open service for transgender folks," she said.Pentagon spokeswoman Eileen Lainez said that servicemembers will continue to have benefits for which they may designate beneficiaries regardless of their sexual orientation, including death gratuity, servicemembers' group life insurance and the thrift savingsplan.But other benefits, including health care and housing and transportation allowances, are restricted because of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) or other applicable statues, which legally define the terms "spouse" and "dependent.""In connection with DADT repeal, the department is exploring the possibility of extending other benefits - legally permitted - to same-sex partners," Lainez said. Is the Defense of Marriage Act going to continue to prevent true equality for LGBT troops? Or will the official strike of the DADT measure begin to allow for fair treatment of openly serving soldiers?
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