Daoist Diary: They're Here, They're Queer, They're Heavily Armed... Maybe now retired reserve Air Force JAG officer Lindsey Graham will feel safe to ooze out from under the closet door.

Court Orders Immediate Halt to Gay Military Ban

SAN FRANCISCO - A federal appeals court ordered the U.S. government on Wednesday to immediately cease enforcing the ban on openly gay members of the military, a move that could speed the repeal of the 17-year-old rule.

A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco said the "don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) policy must be lifted now that the Obama administration has concluded it's unconstitutional to treat gay Americans differently under the law. The appeals court noted that Congress repealed the policy in December and that the Pentagon is preparing to certify that it is ready to welcome gay military personnel.

As a senior naval officer I considered Don’t Ask Don’t Tell to be the dumbest of a host of ill-advised personnel regulations. I knew so many brass hats who made Hugh Hefner look like Saint Paul but who considered homosexuals and lesbians too “perverted” to serve in “their” Navy.

Get used to it, old boys.

Commander Jeff Huber, U.S. Navy (Retired) is author of the critically lauded novel Bathtub Admirals, a lampoon on America’s rise to global dominance.