Gay Rights

Supreme Court upholds law on gays in military

The nation’s highest court has rejected the challenge to the "don’t ask, don’t tell" policy introduced during the Clinton Administration.
The suit was brought by James Pietrangelo II, the former Army infantryman and veteran of two Iraq wars, who was discharged in 2004 after revealing he was gay, according to Time magazine.
The administration has expressed support for the court’s ruling, and indicated a review of the law is "not a high priority." However, gay-rights groups have been quick to stress Obama promised to eventually repeal the law during his presidential campaign.
"Every moment that the administration and Congress delay repealing ‘don’t ask, don’t tell,’ our nation is robbed of brave men and women who would risk their lives to keep our country safe," says Joe Solmonese, president of Human Rights Campaign, quoted by the Associated Press.
The campaign has joined other groups which are calling on the president to sign an executive order suspending "don’t ask, don’t tell".
Recently, Lieutenant Dan Choi, an Arabic-speaking West Point graduate and a veteran of the Iraq war, was discharged from the army after he publically declared his sexual orientation.