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It was one year ago today, that the official repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" occurred...

Furor Fades A Year After Military Lifted Ban On Gays

DAVID CRARY , Associated Press

NEW YORK - They are images Americans had never seen before. Jubilant young men and women in military uniforms marching beneath a rainbow flag in a gay pride parade. Soldiers and sailors returning from deployment and, in time-honored tradition, embracing their beloved -- only this time with same-sex kisses.

It's been almost a year since the policy known as "don't ask, don't tell" was repealed, enabling gay and lesbian members of the military to serve openly, no longer forced to lie and keep their personal lives under wraps.

The Pentagon says repeal has gone smoothly, with no adverse effect on morale, recruitment or readiness. President Obama cites it as a signature achievement of his first term, and his Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, says he would not push to reverse the change if elected.

Some critics persist with complaints that repeal has infringed on service members whose religious faiths condemn homosexuality. Instances of anti-gay harassment have not ended. And activists are frustrated that gay and lesbian military families don't yet enjoy the benefits and services extended to other military families.

Yet the consensus is that repeal has produced far more joy and relief than dismay and indignation. There's vivid evidence in photographs that have rocketed across cyberspace, such as the military contingent marching in San Diego's gay pride parade and Marine Sgt. Brandon Morgan leaping into the arms of his boyfriend after returning from six months in Afghanistan.

Tens of thousands of people clicked the "like" button for the photo on Facebook, and Morgan acknowledged it was "a great moment in history."

There have been many such milestones since repeal took effect on Sept. 20, 2011:

• In December, a lesbian sailor won the right to the coveted "first kiss" when the USS Oak Hill returned to port in Virginia after 80 days at sea. The crowd on hand to welcome the ship screamed in delight and waved flags as Petty Officer Second Class Marissa Gaeta shared a kiss with her partner, Citlalic Snell -- a moment that drew 1.5 million YouTube viewers.
• In June, Air Force Tech. Sgt. Erwynn Umali and his civilian partner were united in a civil union ceremony at the chapel at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey, with a Navy chaplain presiding.
• In August, longtime Army officer Tammy Smith became the military's first openly gay general. Her wife, Tracey Hepner, did the honors of pinning on the general's star during the promotion ceremony.

Last week, the Palm Center -- a research institute at the University of California, Los Angeles -- issued what it described as the first academic study of the effect of repeal, which it had supported. Co-authored by professors from the military academies and Marine Corps War College, the study concludes that repeal had no broad negative effects

"Contrary to expectations, the co-authors found evidence that repeal has improved trust among the troops, and has enabled service members to resolve problems in ways that were not possible while DADT remained law," the Palm Center said.

One opponent of repeal, Elaine Donnelly of the conservative Center for Military Readiness, says Obama "has recklessly used the armed forces for unprecedented social experimentation." She welcomed a section of the Republican Party's new platform pledging to review military personnel policies and correct problems that might be uncovered.

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"Fear Eats the Soul"