Democratic leaders have announced [1] that a repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell will likely be attached to next year's defense authorization bill.
The 1993 policy prohibits anyone that "demonstrate(s) a propensity or intent to engage in homosexual acts" from serving in the military. It has resulted in the discharge of an estimated [2] 13,000 soldiers, some having "critical" skills, such as linguistic and engineering expertise.
President Obama made a campaign pledge to end Don't Ask Don't Tell, but didn't lay out specifics for the repeal or a timeline. He reiterated [3] his commitment to end the policy at this year's HRC dinner:
We cannot afford to cut from our ranks people with the critical skills we need to fight any more than we can afford -- for our military's integrity -- to force those willing to do so into careers encumbered and compromised by having to live a lie. […] I will end Don't Ask, Don't Tell. That's my commitment to you.
Thanks to Democratic leaders, a timeline to ending the discriminatory policy could now be in sight.