Comments:Obama signs landmark law overturning 'don't ask, don't tell'

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I may be completely off track, but I believed that the before Clinton's "don't ask, don't tell" law, the military did not allow anyone they knew to be homosexual. If I remember correctly when signing up for the military people were asked if they were homosexual and if they responded yes, then they were not permitted to join. Once Clinton enacted the "don't ask, don't tell" the military had to quit asking and admit all who did not openly proclaim to be homosexual.

I suppose that what I am saying is that the "don't ask, don't tell" was considered a significant step forward in homosexual rights at the time. Where this article seems to be portraying it as far less than the step forward that it was.

You're correct about 'Don't ask, don't tell' originally being a progressive step, the previous policy is treated hilariously in the movie Stripes. The thing is I feel like... internet damn it, as much as I feel like this is the right thing to do and definitely the way the world should be, I also feel like there are going to be homosexual people hurt and killed by their fellow service members because they've been told they can now safely be open about their sexuality, when that's not necessarily true, they just won't be discharged for it. I really hope noone does get hurt but my fiasco sense is tingling.

I agree with you to a certain extent. I was in the navy when Clinton's bill was enacted and there was a great deal of concern from many people in the Navy about homosexuals signing up for military service. I don't know if much ever came of it as I left the military not long after that time and the military tends to be a somewhat closed society. I am sure that there was some resistance to Clinton's law, but given that nothing has hit the papers in the way that tailhook did, I am thinking that nothing too major has happened. Either that, or the military has gotten better at keeping things quiet.

Just as any change, I am sure that there will be resistance and push back. We have seen it in our society repeatedly (abolishment of slavery, abolishment of segregation, womans suffrage). There will be some who will accept the change right away, some who will take time to accept the change, and some who will never accept the change. A lot of it will have to do with how the leadership handles things (ie. what kind of example they set etc.). I have no doubt that there will be incidents. The question is, how extreme will they be?

Even bothering to challenge the court rulings was an exercise in pointlessness. Just do the repeal and be done with it.

Good article.