Obama ends ban on gays in military

Published: July 22, 2011 7:51 PM
By LOLITA C. BALDOR. AND ERICA WERNER. The Associated Press. WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama on Friday formally signed off on ending the ban on gays serving openly in the military, doing away with a policy that's been controversial from the day it was enacted and making good on his 2008 campaign promise to the gay community.. The president joined Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Adm. Mike Mullen, the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, in signing a notice and sending it to Congress certifying that military readiness would not be hurt by repealing the 17-year-old "don't ask, don't tell" policy.. That means that 60 days from now the ban will be lifted.. "As commander in chief, I have always been confident that our dedicated men and women in uniform would transition to a new policy in an orderly manner that preserves unit cohesion, recruitment, retention and military effectiveness," Obama said in a statement.. "Today's action follows extensive training of our military personnel and certification by Secretary Panetta and Admiral Mullen that our military is ready for repeal. As of September 20th, service members will no longer be forced to hide who they are in order to serve our country.". Friday's move was expected under the repeal law Congress passed in December.. Repeal has drawn strong opposition from some in Congress, and there was initial reluctance from military leaders who worried it could cause a backlash and erode troop cohesion on the battlefield. But two weeks ago, the chiefs of the military services told Panetta that ending the ban would not affect military readiness.. Advocacy groups that fought for the change called the decision Friday long overdue, while opponents said it's a political payoff to left-leaning gay and lesbian activists.

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