Valerie Jarrett, senior adviser to
President Barack Obama, on Saturday applauded repeal of “Don't Ask,
Don't Tell.”
The policy, which for nearly 2 decades
banned gay and bisexual troops from serving openly, ended last
September.
Speaking to the over 1,000 people
attending the first Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN)
national dinner since the policy's repeal, Jarrett thanked the group
for its persistence in reversing the policy.
“So thank you for your steadfast
determination, persistence and conviction that we could right a
wrong,” Jarrett said in her keynote speech to the group. “There
were moments when it seemed foolish to hope. The times when 'Don't
Ask, Don't Tell' seemed more firmly entrenched than ever. Through it
all, you never wavered from the ultimate goal. You believed that one
day, if you worked for it, and fought for it, and sacrificed for it,
then change would come.”
Repeal, Jarrett said, made America
stronger.
“Our national security has not been
threatened by the repeal. On the contrary, it's been strengthened
because gay and lesbian members of our military are now recognized as
full members of the team. And despite what some opponents of repeal
might have predicted, we have heard very few stories about resistance
from within the military. Our military men and women are focused on
their jobs, their missions. We got repeal done, we got it done the
right way, and our country is stronger and better because we did.”
She also cheered the recent military
homecomings of openly gay troops, which include Marine
Sargent Brandon Morgan and Navy
Petty Officer 2nd Class Marissa Gaeta.
“I'm sure that all of you have seen
some of the recent pictures of gay and lesbian servicemembers sharing
an embrace, or first kiss with a loved one, when they return home
from duty – just like any other family. It's a reminder that the
men and women of our armed forces have handled repeal with the
professionalism and class that we have come to expect from the finest
fighting force in the world.”