U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates ’65 announced Tuesday that the Pentagon has taken its first steps toward repealing the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy enacted in 1993.
President Obama had called for a repeal of the policy during his State of the Union address last week.
“The question before us is not whether the military prepares to make this change, but how we best prepare for it,” Gates said. “We have received our orders from the commander in chief and we are moving out accordingly.”
Instated during the Clinton administration, the policy bars openly gay, lesbian and bisexual individuals from serving in the U.S. military, but prevents the military from asking a service member’s sexual orientation.
