Photo by afagen.
Shortly after midnight last night, the ban on gays serving openly in the military was formally repealed. Just to put things into perspective, we thought we’d take a brief look at some of the numbers involved with the ban and its repeal.
- 193.3 million: The amount, in dollars, it cost between 2004 and 2009 — not even one-third of the ban’s lifespan — to replace thousands of soldiers who were discharged under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”.
- Somewhere between 13,000 and 14,346: The number of men and women who have been discharged from the military under the ban; the number fluctuates based on the source of the information, but most reliable sources place the number somewhere in this range.
- 233: Years since the first American soldier was discharged from the armed forces for being gay on March 15, 1778, according to Servicemembers United.
- 97: Percentage of the military that has been “prepared” for the repeal of the law, according to the Pentagon.
- 30: The number of months since former Army officer Dan Choi — who once handcuffed himself to the fence of the White House in protest of the law — announced publicly that he was gay, leading to his discharge. Choi, along with many others, plans to re-enlist.
- 20: The number of dollars (in the form of a suggested donation) it will cost you to attend the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network’s celebration marking the repeal of the law this evening at K Street Lounge (1301 K Street NW). Of course, there will be plenty of free celebrations around the District this evening, too.
- 18: The number of years the ban on openly gay service members was officially in place, until it was officially repealed at 12:01 a.m. this morning.
- 0: The number of benefits — despite the repeal of DADT — that married, heterosexual service members receive (health care benefits, employment and financial assistance, additional pay for long-range assignments) which will be extended to same-sex couples.
