Washington, D.C. - Today I voted for—and the House of Representatives passed—a historic repeal of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) policy of the U.S. military. I have long supported a policy of non-discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in the military, and this historic moment was long overdue.  The DADT repeal passed as an amendment to the annual defense authorization bill by a vote of 234 - 194.  Click here to read the full text of the DADT repeal amendment.

There are miles to go before we achieve full equality for LGBT Americans, but today is a day to celebrate progress.


“[Repeal] is the right thing to do.”
– Admiral Michael Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

“A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Tuesday indicates that 78 percent of the public supports allowing openly gay people to serve in the military…. ‘Support is widespread, even among Republicans. Nearly six in ten Republicans favor allowing openly gay individuals to serve in the military…. There is a gender gap, with 85 percent of women and 71 percent of men favoring the change, but support remains high among both groups.’” [CNN Polling Director Keating Holland, 5/25/2010]

In addition to the following military officials, a recent poll shows that 73% of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans said it is “personally acceptable to them if gay and lesbian people were allowed to serve openly in the military.”

“It is my personal belief that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly would be the right thing to do. No matter how I look at this issue, I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens. For me personally, it comes down to integrity -- theirs as individuals and ours as an institution.” [Admiral Michael Mullen, 2/3/10]

“In the almost seventeen years since the ‘Don't Ask, Don't Tell' legislation was passed, attitudes and circumstances have changed...For the past two years, I have expressed the view that it was time for the law to be reviewed by Congress. I fully support the new approach presented to the Senate Armed Services Committee this week by Secretary of Defense Gates and Admiral Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.” [General Colin Powell, Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 2/3/10]

“‘Don't ask, don't tell’ is both a federal law and a Pentagon policy. The law ties the military's hands on this issue. If Congress fails to repeal it, the Pentagon's study process will be compromised because the Defense Department will not have the authority to implement its own recommendations…. Congress should repeal the law, providing the secretary and the chairman with enough maneuvering room that, when the time is right, they can implement policies that end discrimination and maximize military readiness.” [General John Shalikashvili, Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 5/22/10]

Repeal “don't ask, don't tell.” In a letter to Congress, 52 military leaders recommended that Congress repeal DADT: “We respectfully urge Congress to repeal the ‘don't ask, don't tell’ policy. Those of us signing this letter have dedicated our lives to defending the rights of our citizens to believe whatever they wish.” [51 Retired Generals and Admirals and Former Army Secretary in a Letter to Congress, 7/23/08]