SALT Statement on DADT Repeal

On Saturday, December 18, an historic vote occurred in the United States Senate, joining the House of Representatives in repealing the discriminatory Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy that prevented gay, lesbian, and bisexual servicemembers from openly serving in the military. 

This bill, which will be signed into law by President Obama later this week, ends a policy that sanctioned discrimination.  SALT has been in the forefront of this battle: filing suit in FAIR v. Rumsfeld, organizing teach ins and ameliorating activities, and working alongside so many organizations whose goal was to end this horrendous policy.

On December 20, 2010, SALT issued Statement by the Society of American Law Teachers—SALT—On the Repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and Ending Investigation and Prosecution of Service Members Immediately, which we hope you will help distribute, calling upon “Defense Secretary Robert Gates to use his authority to suspend all ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ investigations during this interim period.  Further, we urge all of those involved in the certification process to treat it with an expediency that reflects the importance of implementing repeal.  We are confident that if the Department of Defense acts promptly, repeal can be finalized by the end of March 2011.”

Download a pdf of the entire statement.