@Oisin Said 
is this going to be the kind of thing where sure gay folk
can openly admit to being gay but many won't ?
That's entirely possible. There's no mandate stating that you HAVE to tell everyone that you're gay, so for many people serving, it's not going to make a bit of difference.
But you can no longer be discharged if someone finds out that you're gay, or if you do tell people that you're gay. It's a big step because these people have had to lie about their lives and hide their most important relationships from everyone for fear of being tossed out of the military.
Imagine being deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, and not being able to send letters to your wife telling her that you love her, because to do so would get you discharged.. Imagine being wounded or killed there, and your wife not being notified that you were wounded or killed because nobody was allowed to know you had a wife. Imagine not being able to tell anyone about your wife, no matter what the circumstances while you're in an extremely stressful combat situation.
Now people can be honest, they can communicate with their loved ones at home without fear of reprisals, and they get to have the same link with people stateside that straight people have always had.
Doesn't seem like such a bad thing does it?
Jul 06, 2011 @ 23:22:43
This is great.
...Excuse you but the morale will go down the toilet.
