President Barack Obama, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen certified Friday that the U.S. military is prepared to accept openly gay and lesbian service members, and that doing so will not harm military readiness, according to the White House.
Under a bill passed last year that set up a process for repealing the controversial "don't ask, don't tell" policy, all three men needed to sign a certification that confirms the military's ability to accept the integration of openly gay and lesbian troops.
A 60-day waiting period will now begin before the repeal is fully implemented.
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Some comments on here are amazing to the extent of immature and self predicting. very interesting in reading. It amazes me how some can predict that this issue will makes us loose a war or how its a sin or to throw in religious beliefs.we are who we are. all colors and all races, all sizes and shapes can you pick us out ? not normally( there are some flames out there but that is there voice and who they are,don't knock them, not so sure you will fine
d one of those on the front line.............) what i am saying here folks takeaway all your personal thoughts/feelings and opinions.......WE ARE ALL EQUAL WHAT IS GOOD FOR ONE IS GOOD FOR THE OTHER
Finally. I hope that this, like the desegregation of the military did for African-Americans, leads to a broader acceptance of GLBT civil rights in this country. Perhaps it would even lead (gasp!) to being protected from being fired for being gay. (There is no law protecting from employment discrimination at the Federal level nor at the State level in most jurisdictions.)
And in re all the "Christian" comments – your views based on mythology are completely irrelevant to this and indeed to most any other discussion.
Go voice your gay logic somewhere other than the military. You want equal rights? Go to Holland, America as a country should take a stand against your lifestyle. It saddens me to believe that our country has fallen down the black hole of political correctness, all that breeds is tolerance, tolerance of a disgusting lifestyle. What do you think is right about a man loving another man, its wrong. Stop making that perverse choice
Oh Will, quit trying to convince yourself that you're such a macho stud. LOL. And your pink-laced panties beneath your hot-pants are also showing dearie!
I don't know about hot pants, but ass less chaps now you're talking. Its just funny to me how dadt doesn't say that you can't be gay in the military, it says keep it to yourself. And if you bring up the people who get discharged for it well I'll tell you that the army has stopped that a while ago. Why is it such a big deal to be able to openly serve? The current system works fine now, gays will never get the same benefits in the military as married people do. So I guess its just the fact that gays want people to know they're gay. That's all that will come of the repeal. Being gay doesn't make you who you are, I don't go around telling people that I am a straight male. Either way, being gay is wrong. Plain and simple. And being gay and in the army or navy or whatever, is not conducive to the military lifestyle. That's my opinion
hmm so when you sing the national anthem do you skip the part " the land of the free and the home of the brave"???????
If it makes the straight guys uneasy taking a shower with gay guys, and straight women with lesbians. let the gay guys shower with the straight chicks and lesbians with the straight guys!!
I love lesbians! Just the thought of me and two sweaty lesbian latinas in a fox hole, makes me want to enlist!!
Blame it on the straight people. They're the ones having gay babies.
This is very disgusting and is disrespectful to our men and women protecting our country. Too bad they did not consult the troops before making this decision. It is clearly a very very vocal minority that wants this. The majority of people just don't speak up.
Uh, Mike, they DID consult the troops before making this decision. (Not that needed to.) So keep up, Mike. You're a little slow. lmao
And more thing, Mikey. It is NOT a "very very vocal minority" that want gays to be treated like everyone else. In fact, it's not a minority at all. The FACT is that 75% if Americans favor gays serving in the military. So keep up, Mikey and get your facts straight instead of babbling with your made-up stories. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/11/AR2010021104873.html http://www.gallup.com/poll/147662/first-time-majority-americans-favor-legal-gay-marriage.aspx
Actually Mike they polled all branches of the military, and a majority of us really don't care. As long as they can get the job done that's all that matters!
@Miike when you say its disrespectful to our men and women protecting our country, do you mean ALL the men and women protecting our country or just the straight ones? I'm straight and served in Vietnam and what you said is disrepectful to ME.
All you gay haters were obviously never in the military. I was, and I could care less if the man or woman riskin his life next to me was gay. You "ignorant" people need to wake up and realize that gays in the miltary are WAY braver and have much more honor than you idiots ever will.
I could not agree with you more, I to have served this great country of ours, and and whether you are gay or lesbian, I can careless, as long as we unite and do our job as expected. God Bless
Cory- you have no idea what you are blathering on about. This will work today only because society in general has changed. It would certainly not have worked 30 years ago. The ONLY thing that matters is whether or not the military can be effective–doesn't matter who is brave or not. 30 years ago it would not have, and this would have been a disaster for American defense readiness.
With Obama at the controls there is probably more to come. How about gay soldier of the year, or outstanding gay parent or the ever popular gay service ribbon? Gays servicing openly in the military is just another brick in the wall of Obama's new America.
@Larry, the Army Service Ribbon already looks like a rainbow, so how they'd make a Gay Service Ribbon is anyone's guess.
Thank you cory from a gay former Marine Semper Fi !
Bigotry is a dying breed. Give it time soldier. Thank you for serving.
They never polled my unit. Don't ask don't tell worked, I don't know about the other services, but I know the army has made a lot of changes for the worst. I don't have a problem with guys liking dick. It's their choice.... However, soldiers shouldn't have to share a room, bathroom, etc. With some one there not comfortable with. The military doesn't have the money, nor does it plan to compensate for this. If you are a straight guy, and you in an open shower with a hot girl, you'd look. But do you want some gay guy eye balling your junk?
So what you're saying is that you're a lustful pig and therefore think that all men, including gay ones, are as well?
And if someone is not comfortable with sharing with someone if a dierrent race, religion? You just show how ignorant you are. I served 20 years and it did not bother me who I roomed with as long as they were respectful. If you don't like it then you are free to leave the military.
Josh- Yo, Einstein, did he say all gay guys? It only takes one staring at you to be unacceptable.
I get your point.
I would if i was a guy, i guess your just not worthy of someone looking at your junk haha
After 28 years in the military I think that there are alot of closet military Senior officers at all levels, that are married for "convient" sake. I know of onevery senior Naval Officer that I think fits the bill. Many yrear ago 60 Minutes did a segment on the percentage of gays in the military. They by blocked camera interviewed gay service members and asked them what precentage of the military that they knew of were gay. It ranged anywhere from 10 – 25 percent depending on the service and person they were interviewing. I'm not an alarmist, but I can see where gays will flock to the military to have a haven and that it will turn into a military where gays rule.
Great. Just what we need. Men in uniform behaving like women. Disgusting. Well, Mr. President, I won't make the same mistake in November, 2012.
Oh my goodness! Men acting like women!!!! Why, the next thing you know, there will be WOMEN in the military! Heeeeaaaavvvveeeennnnsss to Betsy, what WILL they think of next?!
On a more serious note, most effeminate gay men want nothing to do with the military. NOTHING! Butch Leather Daddy's, though. That's another matter entirely! And let me tell you, I'd sooner trust a Leather Daddy to win a battle, then some little gangsta' wannabe hetero boy.
@I got a clue: What's a "Butch Leather Daddy"? Did you mean lesbians would react more appropriately under combat conditions than effeminate men? "Gangsta wannabe hetero"? Calm down. No one should care who someone sleeps with. In keeping with military decorum and bearing though, I feel men and women in UNIFORM should always act their gender.
Coed showers is the only fair way.
I put 26 years in myself and anybody telling you it makes no difference is full of it. There were a few good troops that fell down the stairs because they were gay. Anybody saying otherwise is a phony.
Let's see how many people we can get killed in the name of political correctness.
so excited