{"id":69813,"date":"2021-09-26T16:18:13","date_gmt":"2021-09-26T16:18:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/09\/26\/10-years-after-dont-ask-dont-tell-cadets-see-progress\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T14:08:37","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T14:08:37","slug":"10-years-after-dont-ask-dont-tell-cadets-see-progress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2021\/09\/26\/10-years-after-dont-ask-dont-tell-cadets-see-progress\/","title":{"rendered":"10 years after \u2018don\u2019t ask, don\u2019t tell,\u2019 cadets see progress"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">NEW LONDON, Conn. (AP) \u2014 Kelli Normoyle was nervous as she arrived at the Coast Guard Academy campus in Connecticut in 2008. She had come out as a lesbian to a few friends near the end of high school, but she faced a military environment where \u201cdon\u2019t ask, don\u2019t tell\u201d was still the policy prohibiting gay people from serving openly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She kept quiet about her sexuality for her freshman year, fearing expulsion and the ruin of her not-yet-begun career. She started testing the waters her second year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOK, maybe this is somebody that I can trust, maybe this is somebody that identifies the way I do,\u201d said Normoyle, now a lieutenant on the cutter Sanibel, based in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. \u201cBut then you always have that moment that was that kind of leap of faith.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Marking the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/opinion\/commentary\/2021\/09\/20\/10th-anniversary-of-dadt-repeal-a-good-time-to-reflect-on-victory-of-facts-over-fear\/\" target=\"_blank\">10th anniversary<\/a> this week of the end of \u201cdon\u2019t ask, don\u2019t tell,\u201d a new generation of military academy students say that their campuses are now tolerant, welcoming and inclusive for the most part \u2014 but that more work needs to be done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Homophobic or ignorant comments still arise occasionally. Many transgender students still do not feel comfortable coming out. And advocates say the military needs to do more to include people with HIV, as well as nonbinary and intersex people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Normoyle, 32, of Mount Laurel, New Jersey, and fellow cadet Chip Hall led the formation of the Coast Guard Academy\u2019s Spectrum Diversity Council, the first advocacy group for LGBTQ students at a U.S. military academy, a few months after \u201cdon\u2019t ask, don\u2019t tell\u201d ended on Sept. 20, 2011. Similar groups later formed at the other four service academies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gays and lesbians were banned in the military until the 1993 approval of \u201cdon\u2019t ask, don\u2019t tell,\u201d which allowed them to serve only if they did not openly acknowledge their sexual orientation. Rather than helping, advocates say, the policy actually created more problems. In its entire history, the military dismissed more than 100,000 service members based on their sexual or gender identities \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/veterans\/2016\/06\/24\/few-vets-expelled-under-don-t-ask-seek-remedy\/\" target=\"_blank\">14,000 of them during \u201cdon\u2019t ask, don\u2019t tell.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Repeal of the law was approved by Congress and President Barack Obama in late 2010 and took effect nine months later, allowing lesbian, gay and bisexual people to serve openly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the Air Force Academy in Colorado, second-year cadet Marissa Howard, who came out as a lesbian a few years ago, said she admires LGBTQ service members who struggled under the former policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI commend them,\u201d said Howard, of San Antonio, a member of the academy\u2019s Spectrum group. \u201cI feel very included in the environment, and it\u2019s just a good place to feel like my identity is seen and I don\u2019t have to hide who I am here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some fellow cadets, however, don\u2019t support their LGBTQ classmates, she said. Once, during an online class, someone called her \u201cweird\u201d for being gay, perhaps thinking they were muted, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Coast Guard Academy in New London was the only U.S. military academy to hold a public event Monday to mark the 10th anniversary. About 100 people attended a dinner that included a viewing of a documentary on \u201cdon\u2019t ask, don\u2019t tell,\u201d followed by a discussion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For many cadets, it is difficult to imagine what it was like because their generation has been more accepting, said K.C. Commins, a bisexual Coast Guard Academy senior from Altoona, Iowa, and current Spectrum Diversity Council president.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere are so many of us now. It\u2019s hard to ignore that we\u2019re here and &#8230; it is the new normal,\u201d said Commins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rear Adm. William G. Kelly, the Coast Guard Academy\u2019s superintendent, told the crowd Monday that officials have worked hard on LGBTQ inclusion and are developing a campus policy for transgender students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Transgender people were allowed to serve openly in the military beginning in 2016, but the Trump administration largely banned them in 2019. Although President Joe Biden <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/03\/31\/reversing-trump-pentagon-to-release-new-policy-for-transgender-people-to-serve-in-the-military\/\" target=\"_blank\">overturned the ban<\/a> earlier this year, formal policies are still being drafted at some locations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the U.S. Naval Academy, sexual orientation is mostly a nonissue, said Andre Rascoe, a senior midshipman who is gay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIn my experience, you always have the one or two people who kind of feel uncomfortable either rooming with or being on, like, a sports team with someone who\u2019s in the queer community, but they are anomalies,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After students graduate, they will face a military environment <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/us-news-health-coronavirus-pandemic-government-and-politics-5702e3a822dd841a06d0b10bcea898a3\">where sexual assault and harassment <\/a>continue to be pervasive and where lesbian, gay and bisexual service members are disproportionately victimized, according to an <a href=\"https:\/\/media.defense.gov\/2021\/Jul\/02\/2002755437\/-1\/-1\/0\/IRC-FULL-REPORT-FINAL-1923-7-1-21.PDF\/IRC-FULL-REPORT-FINAL-1923-7-1-21.PDF\">independent review commission\u2019s report<\/a> submitted to Biden in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In its latest annual report on sexual assaults and harassment at West Point and the Air Force and Naval academies, the Defense Department said 129 sexual assaults were reported during the 2019-20 school year, down from 149 the year before. Twelve complaints of sexual harassment were received, down from 17 the previous year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cObviously there\u2019s a lot more room to grow,\u201d said Jennifer Dane, chief executive and director of the Modern Military Association of America, an LGBTQ advocacy group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dane, who served in the Air Force from 2010 to 2016, said the Air Force began investigating her sexuality during her first year but dropped the probe after \u201cdon\u2019t ask, don\u2019t tell\u201d was repealed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen it was repealed &#8230; I was finally able to be my authentic self, and it was very empowering,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>LGBTQ service members, vets discuss &#8220;Don&#8217;t Ask, Don&#8217;t Tell&#8221; impact 10 years after repeal<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":104412,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":12,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,8,23,89,12,26],"tags":[],"coauthors":[1598],"class_list":["post-69813","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-flashpoints","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"EUG3HB4VJRGMPEPZLLP4UFMB4A","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-military\/2021\/09\/26\/10-years-after-dont-ask-dont-tell-cadets-see-progress\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>10 years after \u2018don\u2019t ask, don\u2019t tell,\u2019 cadets see progress - Navy Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"LGBTQ service members, vets discuss &quot;Don&#039;t Ask, Don&#039;t Tell&quot; impact 10 years after repeal\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2021\/09\/26\/10-years-after-dont-ask-dont-tell-cadets-see-progress\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"10 years after \u2018don\u2019t ask, don\u2019t tell,\u2019 cadets see progress\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"LGBTQ service members, vets discuss &quot;Don&#039;t Ask, Don&#039;t Tell&quot; impact 10 years after repeal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2021\/09\/26\/10-years-after-dont-ask-dont-tell-cadets-see-progress\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Navy Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-09-26T16:18:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T14:08:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dave Collins, The Associated Press\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Dave Collins, The Associated Press\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/26\\\/10-years-after-dont-ask-dont-tell-cadets-see-progress\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/26\\\/10-years-after-dont-ask-dont-tell-cadets-see-progress\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"10 years after \u2018don\u2019t ask, don\u2019t tell,\u2019 cadets see progress\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2021-09-26T16:18:13+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T14:08:37+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/26\\\/10-years-after-dont-ask-dont-tell-cadets-see-progress\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 915,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/26\\\/10-years-after-dont-ask-dont-tell-cadets-see-progress\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP21259698480508.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Flashpoints\",\n\t                \"Home\",\n\t                \"Middle Column\",\n\t                \"News\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/26\\\/10-years-after-dont-ask-dont-tell-cadets-see-progress\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/26\\\/10-years-after-dont-ask-dont-tell-cadets-see-progress\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/26\\\/10-years-after-dont-ask-dont-tell-cadets-see-progress\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"10 years after \u2018don\u2019t ask, don\u2019t tell,\u2019 cadets see progress - Navy Times\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/26\\\/10-years-after-dont-ask-dont-tell-cadets-see-progress\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/26\\\/10-years-after-dont-ask-dont-tell-cadets-see-progress\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP21259698480508.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2021-09-26T16:18:13+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T14:08:37+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"LGBTQ service members, vets discuss \\\"Don't Ask, Don't Tell\\\" impact 10 years after repeal\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/26\\\/10-years-after-dont-ask-dont-tell-cadets-see-progress\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/26\\\/10-years-after-dont-ask-dont-tell-cadets-see-progress\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/26\\\/10-years-after-dont-ask-dont-tell-cadets-see-progress\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP21259698480508.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP21259698480508.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/26\\\/10-years-after-dont-ask-dont-tell-cadets-see-progress\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"News\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"news\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"10 years after \u2018don\u2019t ask, don\u2019t tell,\u2019 cadets see progress\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Navy Times\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Independent News For Sailors | Navy Times\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Navy Times\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/navy-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/navy-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Navy Times\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"10 years after \u2018don\u2019t ask, don\u2019t tell,\u2019 cadets see progress - Navy Times","description":"LGBTQ service members, vets discuss \"Don't Ask, Don't Tell\" impact 10 years after repeal","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2021\/09\/26\/10-years-after-dont-ask-dont-tell-cadets-see-progress\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"10 years after \u2018don\u2019t ask, don\u2019t tell,\u2019 cadets see progress","og_description":"LGBTQ service members, vets discuss \"Don't Ask, Don't Tell\" impact 10 years after repeal","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2021\/09\/26\/10-years-after-dont-ask-dont-tell-cadets-see-progress\/","og_site_name":"Navy Times","article_published_time":"2021-09-26T16:18:13+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T14:08:37+00:00","author":"Dave Collins, The Associated Press","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Dave Collins, The Associated Press","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2021\/09\/26\/10-years-after-dont-ask-dont-tell-cadets-see-progress\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2021\/09\/26\/10-years-after-dont-ask-dont-tell-cadets-see-progress\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"10 years after \u2018don\u2019t ask, don\u2019t tell,\u2019 cadets see progress","datePublished":"2021-09-26T16:18:13+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T14:08:37+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2021\/09\/26\/10-years-after-dont-ask-dont-tell-cadets-see-progress\/"},"wordCount":915,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2021\/09\/26\/10-years-after-dont-ask-dont-tell-cadets-see-progress\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21259698480508.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Daily News Roundup","Flashpoints","Home","Middle Column","News","Newsletters"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2021\/09\/26\/10-years-after-dont-ask-dont-tell-cadets-see-progress\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2021\/09\/26\/10-years-after-dont-ask-dont-tell-cadets-see-progress\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2021\/09\/26\/10-years-after-dont-ask-dont-tell-cadets-see-progress\/","name":"10 years after \u2018don\u2019t ask, don\u2019t tell,\u2019 cadets see progress - Navy Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2021\/09\/26\/10-years-after-dont-ask-dont-tell-cadets-see-progress\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2021\/09\/26\/10-years-after-dont-ask-dont-tell-cadets-see-progress\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21259698480508.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2021-09-26T16:18:13+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T14:08:37+00:00","description":"LGBTQ service members, vets discuss \"Don't Ask, Don't Tell\" impact 10 years after repeal","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2021\/09\/26\/10-years-after-dont-ask-dont-tell-cadets-see-progress\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2021\/09\/26\/10-years-after-dont-ask-dont-tell-cadets-see-progress\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2021\/09\/26\/10-years-after-dont-ask-dont-tell-cadets-see-progress\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21259698480508.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21259698480508.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2021\/09\/26\/10-years-after-dont-ask-dont-tell-cadets-see-progress\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/","ad_zone":"news"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"10 years after \u2018don\u2019t ask, don\u2019t tell,\u2019 cadets see progress"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","name":"Navy Times","description":"Independent News For Sailors | Navy Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization","name":"Navy Times","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/navy-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/navy-logo-white.png","caption":"Navy Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21259698480508.jpg.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Navy Times","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69813","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69813"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69813\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":69827,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69813\/revisions\/69827"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69813"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69813"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69813"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=69813"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}