Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” (DADT) the policy that banned gays and lesbians from serving openly in the U.S. military, is history.

Since 1993, when President Bill Clinton signed “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” into law, servicemen and servicewomen were forbidden by Title 10 of the United States Code from disclosing or openly discussing their sexual orientation or homosexual relationships, and they could be discharged from the Armed Forces for doing so. Many criticized the ban as denying soldiers’ basic civil rights.

David Cingarelli, a professor of political science at Binghamton University, said “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was both “discriminatory in intent and in its effect.”

The U.S. Congress passed a bill repealing the ban in December 2010, and Obama signed it the same month. The military in recent weeks undertook preparations for the repeal, including freezing discharges and investigations of gay and lesbian soldiers, according to a report in The Washington Post.

Although gay and lesbian soldiers currently serving in the military are now permitted to be open about their sexuality, it is unlikely that many of these soldiers will divulge this information on a large scale. Most soldiers, according to the report in The Washington Post, will “‘come out’ quietly.”

Nonetheless, Cingarelli called the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” important.

“[The repeal] allows [soldiers] to be open about their sexual identification without fear of official reprisals,” Cingarelli said. “I’m delighted to see it replaced with a more enlightened policy.”

Frank Torres, director of Rainbow Pride Union, the campus lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender cultural group, described the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” as a good step.

“Things are changing in a positive direction,” said Torres, a senior double-majoring in political science and economics. “It’s going to take time for the mentality [toward gay and lesbian soldiers] to change.”

Cingarelli said he saw the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” as part of a broader trend of increasing social acceptance of gays and lesbians.

“New York and other states recently legalized gay marriage,” he said. “Many states have banned employment discrimination based on sexual orientation. The country is making progress, but we have a long way to go.”

Zachary Lubarsky, communications director for the College Democrats, agreed.

“Why should someone’s desires affect someone’s work performance? With the recent New York Marriage Equality Act and the ending of the DADT, we will see a renewed push to first repeal the Defense of Marriage Act,” he said, referring to the law that prevents federal legalization of same-sex marriage.

David Behm, senior military science instructor at BU who runs the campus ROTC program and a U.S. Army captain, said he supported the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

“I feel that homosexuals should be allowed to be who they are without the fear of discrimination,” Behm said.

He cited the reopening of colleges like Harvard, which banned ROTC programs because of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, to ROTC programs as an additional benefit of the policy’s repeal.

“This allows many brave homosexual men and women to serve their country,” Behm said.

Kevin Greer, publicity director for College Republicans and a senior majoring in political science, said many students in College Republicans think the military will in time determine if the repeal was beneficial.

“There are many diverse views within the club,” Greer said. “However, most of the members of College Republicans are very moderate on the issue of gays being in the military. On the whole we would feel most comfortable hearing from the generals and military commanders that the repeal of DADT was a good and feasible idea.”

Behm, however, said he thought the repeal of DADT was a positive change that empowers military employees.