Mark Udall celebrates tomorrow's one-year anniversary of the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT), the law that had previously prohibited gay and lesbian members of the military from serving openly.
"Tomorrow marks a year since we repealed "Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' and by every indication, our military is more effective as a result," Udall said. "Once again, our troops have proved why we have the strongest, most capable military in history: because our troops know that hard work, courage and teamwork are what matter most. DADT already feels like a relic of the past."
"Some questioned whether repealing DADT would hurt our readiness, but I knew our troops were already above the shameful policy and ready for its repeal. In fact, a study last week confirmed that repealing DADT had "no overall negative impact on military readiness," he added.
On Sept. 20, 2011, Udall celebrated the official end of DADT as one of the "Fearsome Foursome" of senators who originally pushed the repeal through the U.S. Senate and eventually into law. As a longtime advocate for all of our nation's veterans, Udall joined Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) earlier this year in urging the U.S. Department of Defense to streamline its process for veterans discharged because of their sexual orientation under DADT and have their discharge documents changed so they will have a better chance at gaining future employment.