Civil rights movements
Before 1993, lesbian and gay people were not allowed to serve in the United States military. Under the "Don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) policy, they were only allowed to serve in the military if they did not tell anyone of their sexual orientation. The Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010 allowed homosexual men and women to serve openly in the armed forces. Since September 20, 2011, gays, lesbians, and bisexuals have been able to serve openly. However, transsexual service-members still cannot serve openly, due to Department of Defense medical policies which consider gender identity disorder to be a medically disqualifying condition.