Defense Secretary Leon Panetta wants to
honor the contributions of gay troops by marking June as Gay Pride
Month.
The AP is reporting that the Pentagon
is preparing to hold its first ever Gay Pride celebration later this
month.
“Don't Ask, Don't Tell,” the policy
which banned gay and bisexual troops from serving openly ended nine
months ago. Nearly 14,000 service members were drummed out of the
military for violating the policy.
“Now that we've repealed 'Don't Ask,
Don't Tell,' he feels it's important to find a way this month to
recognize the service and professionalism of gay and lesbian troops,”
Navy Capt. John Kirby, a spokesman, told the AP.
Officials have said repeal of the
18-year-old law has gone smoothly.
“I don't think it's just moving along
smoothy, I think it's accelerating faster than we even thought the
military would as far as progress goes,” said Air Force 1st
Lt. Josh Seefried, a finance officer and co-director of OutServe, a
professional association for gay troops.
(Related: First
openly gay military graduates say they find acceptance.)