September 20, 2011, marks the official end of the DADT policy, which began December 21, 1993, following a presidential directive. In a September 20 article, the New York Times provides opinions from supporters and opponents of the repeal and summarizes the official Department of Defense perspective on the day with two official quotes:
“‘The key point is that it no longer matters,’ said Doug Wilson, a top Pentagon spokesman. ‘Our feeling is that the day will proceed like any other day.’”
The article went on:
“Gen. Carter F. Ham, who was a co-director of a Pentagon study on repealing don’t ask, don’t tell, said last week that he expected the effect to be ‘pretty inconsequential.’”
