And just in case you missed the title up there:

DADT REPEAL SIGNING CEREMONY!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wd31FVdv93g

I listened to part of President Obama’s speech on NPR today while I was driving back from Qdoba.  You guys, I had tears in my eyes by the time I pulled into the parking lot.  Today an injustice was addressed.  I am so, so overjoyed that the gay men and women in this country who are putting their lives on the line to protect me and you and that jerk dinkus Fred Phelps will get to serve with honor and honesty.  That their partners will be able to be kept up to date on the status of the enlisted person when they are in combat.

Damn.  Tearing up again.

Of course, there is still work to do, and DADT is still in effect until the Defense Department and others have announced that they are able and ready to implement repeal of DADT, and then there is a 60-day waiting period after that. 

It will be interesting to see how the partners of gay and lesbian military personnel will be recognized.  Will they receive the same sort of benefits as heterosexual couples?  Does repealing DADT offer any sort of protection other than simply allow openly gay servicemembers to serve? 

Next stop:  Overturning the stupid rule that prevents gay and bisexual men from donating blood.  Oh, you thought I was going to say marriage.  Sillies!  Gay marriage is a political-cultural war.  We can do it, but you know what’s even easier?  Convincing the FDA that scientific evidence  shows that specific, sensitive HIV-tests are currently on the market (p24, NAT, RNA viral load), and that the risk of false-negatives could be very, very low if we chose to use these as standard screening.  And if that don’t stop ’em, convincing them that healthy gay men who don’t participate in country-hopping, needle-swapping, prostitution should be allowed to give every ounce as much as straight men.  Aaaaand barring that, to apply the same 12-month restriction on donation that straight men who engage in unprotected anal sex with a prostitute are under. 

Ugh!  I just went googled “Why can’t gay men” and this is what autofill popped up.  See?  Inquiring minds want to know!  Let’s GO, FDA!