After 18 long years in place, “Don’t ask, don’t tell,” the policy banning gays from serving openly in the military, was rightfully repealed on Tuesday, Sept. 20.

Since 1993, when the policy first began under the Clinton administration, the policy has been one of discrimination. Over the course of its time in place, 14,346 service members have been discharged from the military for violating the policy, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Although some believe homosexuality is immoral (I won’t get into the debate on that), allowing such view points to create job discrimination and risk public safety by releasing valuable military members because of their sexual orientation made the policy one based on irrational morality-based fears.

For example, in 2009, 428 service people were honorably discharged from the military according to the Washington Post. According to the same source, those discharges included, “eight linguists, 20 infantrymen, 16 medical aides and one member of the Army’s special forces, positions considered “mission critical” by the Government Accountability Office.”

Again when one considers that these valuable military members were discharged from their high level positions because of being openly gay, the fallacy of the policy seems even more evident. Not only was the policy mindless, but it was unfair.

The policy, while in effect, made a mistake of association that all too often affects homosexuals. “Don’t ask, don’t tell” made homosexuality and job misconduct one in the same. Now, if every one of the 14,346 policy violator’s had participated in some sort of job misconduct such as sexual harassment, the military had every right to question the standing of these people as they would if any heterosexual person had committed the same thing.

However, questioning the integrity of those willing to serve the country because of sexual orientation alone is a dishonor to such heroes active in our everyday communities. When a person risks his life for the sake of our country, we should thank him, not judge him.

For the Obama administration, the push of the repeal of the policy through Congress is a platform for which the administration should be praised.

Since the ban was lifted, 2.3 million service members have gone through hour-long training to teach appropriate workplace conduct following the decision. Now whether or not these short training sessions will be beneficial to a military that has often seemed unsure of homosexual service people working for the country is to be determined.

However, little steps like these prove that equal opportunities will only continue to develop in the future.

Now if only people would stop equating “gay” with “stupid,” the world would be right.