POWELL URGES RE-LOOK AT GAY MILITARY BAN

Former US secretary of State and retired general Colin Powell has urged the military to re-evaluate its ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ ban on gay and lesbian personnel.

Powell made the comment in an interview with Fareed Zakaria on CNN’s The Situation Room on Thursday.

“We definitely should re-evaluate it. It’s been 15 years since we put in DADT which was a policy that became a law. I didn’t want it to become a law but it became a law,” he said.

“Congress felt that strongly about it. But it’s been 15 years and attitudes have changed and so I think it is time for the Congress, since it is their law, to have a full review of it, and I’m quite sure that’s what President elect Obama will want to do.”

According to information released by various military departments, 11,704 lesbian or gay personnel were fired between 1994 and 2006 as a result of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

President-elect Barack Obama has promised that he will work with military leaders to revoke the ban.