More good news. Though Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell has technically been repealed, as we all know, there has been an injunction in place essentially preserving the ban while the military prepares for the policy change. The Ninth Circuit has put a stop to that, and the Pentagon says they’ll comply with the court order:
Even with Obama’s support for ending the 18-year-old policy, Obama’s justice department asked the appeals court to keep the injunction in place to give the military more time to prepare for admitting gay soldiers.
On Wednesday, a three judge-panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals noted that the process of repealing DADT is now “well under way”.
The government “can no longer satisfy the demanding standard” to keep the injunction on hold, the court ruled.
The Pentagon said it was still studying the ruling, but added it would comply with the court order.
Dave Lapan, a military spokesperson, said the US military was immediately taking “steps to inform the field of this order.
Step by step, the discriminatory institutions are falling away. It’s always nice when the courts give the administration a little nudge, though.
UPDATE: Predictably, the self-loathing gay wingnut part of the internet has found a reason to hate this victory, as there is no victory for LGBT rights that they are ever truly happy about.
Unfortunately we shouldn’t be here in the first place. Why the administration agreed to drag their feet for so long. And remember in the DADT repeal the Obama administration has the non-discrimination language stripped so GLB soldiers can still be discriminated against for being who they are.
Oh hell Tim…if God and three arch angels came down and said Obama did the right thing, you would argue over it.
Seems that way.
Evan:
LGB people, not LGBT. Remember, until transgender & transsexual people can end the dehumanizing medical stigmas of being considered “mentally ill,” we cannot serve, even after repeal, no matter how far along we are and no matter how many legal papers we update (assuming we even can, depending on state law).
Gene,
So Gene you are OK with the military being able to continue to discriminate against GLB soldiers because the administration insisted the language be stripped from the bill. And about the timing I defer to SLDN who have been saying the same thing about the timing.
Demand everything at once = get nothing
be thankful for the most gay friendly administration in history and be an adult about political realities = get 2/3 a loaf, with the realistic hope of all of it later.
I ain’t gonna’ apologize for being a realist (or a grown up)