by Lynette Alice

Created on: October 11, 2009   Last Updated: October 12, 2009

The Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT) policy regarding the service of gays in the U.S. military is on its way out according to President Obama. On the eve of National Coming out day the president stated to about 3,000 people attending the HRC annual dinner marking the anniversary of the Gay Rights March on Washington; "I will end Don't ask-Don't tell." Will he received applause at that moment the feeling when the evening would down was "Don't count on it, Don't hold your breath. Like most promises made to the gay community for delivering him the vote, he has to this point been sorely lacking in substance but long on more promises to follow through with the promises he has left on a cold back-burner.

President Obama made the DADT policy a part of his platform, but like many other promises he made too many groups of people, a lot are starting to wonder if he is at all genuine. While most rational people do agree there are far bigger fish to fry right now, namely the sagging economy, gay rights advocates are not asking for miracles or overnight changes. All they are asking is when. They just want some time line that states this will actually be done. They also want to know if the issue has even been looked at since he took office.

President Obama stated, "I appreciate that many of you don't believe progress has come fast enough...Do not doubt the direction we are heading and the destination we will reach." The problem is that in class political double-speak, Obama sidestepped the real question and just turned the tables trying to convince every one they were being impatient because the repeal has yet to take place. The reality is nobody expected a repeal this year, or even in 2010 for the most part. What they did expect is that plans for it would at least be in the infancy stages, not just some tired rhetoric dragged out once a year for a speech to the powers behind the gay rights movement.

Cleve Jones whom served under slain gay Politician Harvey Milk and founded the NAMES Project (AIDS Memorial Quilt) remarked, "He repeated his promises that he's made to us before, but he did not indicate when he would accomplish these goals and we've been waiting for awhile now." In a White House that promised transparency and a new age of the open exchange of information, this is notably one thing the administration has managed to keep a pretty secure lid on. Either that or as many do firmly believe they have in actuality done nothing regarding the DADT policy.

Obama stated: "We

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