U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced that the U.S. Senate voted to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” ending 17 years of injustice in America’s armed services. Senator Gillibrand, who helped lead the fight in the Senate to end the corrosive policy, issued the following statement:
“The "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy is wrong for our national security and wrong for the moral foundation upon which our country was founded. For nearly two decades this corrosive policy has required service members to lie about who they are. We've lost more than 13,000 of our best and brightest to this unjust and discriminatory policy. By repealing this policy, we will increase America's strength – both militarily and morally.
“I want to thank the service men and women who have been victimized by this disastrous policy, but have bravely fought back, and every senator who stood up today and did what was right. I am confident we will proceed with repeal of this discriminatory policy in a way that ensures that the U.S. military continues to be the best fighting force in the world."
