Judge Halts Enforcement of "Don't Ask Don't Tell"

A federal judge in California
today ordered the military to immediately stop enforcing the discriminatory
Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy. The Obama Administration has 60 days
to appeal the ruling.

Michael B. Keegan, President
of People For the American Way, said:

"It's about time. For seventeen years,
Don't Ask, Don't Tell has prevented thousands of patriotic and able
Americans from serving our country in the military. The vast majority of
Americans want to allow gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military, and
so do our military's leaders. The only thing keeping Don't Ask,
Don't Tell from the dustbin of discriminatory and failed policies has
been the uncompromising anti-gay agenda of the minority party in Congress. It
doesn't take a constitutional scholar to know that firing someone for who
they are is wrong. I urge the president and Congress to listen to the voices of
the American people, military leaders, and the rulings of two federal judges,
and end this policy once and for all."