Washington, D.C. — John Podesta, President and CEO of the Center for American Progress, and Winnie Stachelberg, Senior Vice President for External Affairs, issued the following statement today:
"Today’s Senate vote to repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ or DADT, is a huge victory for our national security, our military, and gay Americans. We applaud the leadership of Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Susan Collins (R-ME) for championing repeal, and to Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) for his tireless work on the issue. We look forward to President Barack Obama signing repeal into law—which will fulfill his commitment to repealing DADT.
In DADT’s 17 years of existence it has wasted hundreds of millions of dollars, forced thousands troops to live a lie, and ended the careers of thousands of other talented and brave men and women who wanted to serve their country honorably and with integrity.
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen have testified that the legislation passed today puts the Pentagon in firm control of implementing DADT’s repeal. This ensures that repeal will happen in an orderly fashion and in a way that does not negatively impact our military’s readiness or combat effectiveness.
With DADT’s demise our nation is one step closer to full equality for its gay citizens. Of course, much more needs to be done to ensure equality for all gay and transgender Americans, but we are clearly moving toward a day when no person will be discriminated against because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
We celebrate today’s victory, and we are eager to continue fighting for justice and equality for all."
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