Happy Anniversary To The Demise Of DADT

One year ago today--September 20, 2011 --it ended.

Don't Ask, Don't Tell was over. And gay men and lesbians could now serve openly in the military without fear of being kicked out simply for being gay.

So, from the HuffPo Gay Voices, let's take a look back some incredible--and often historic--moments from the past year.....

Dubbed “the kiss heard around the world,” two female sailors, Petty Officer 2nd Class Marissa Gaeta and Petty Officer 3rd Class Citlalic Snell locked lips in Virginia, Beach last December. 

Gaeta, who said, “It's nice to be able to be myself. It's been a long time coming,” won the coveted and traditional Navy "first kiss" after spending $50 on raffle tickets. Navy officials say it is the first time a gay couple has won the "first kiss" raffle.

OutServe, the association of actively serving LGBT military personnel, hosted its first Armed Services Summit one month after DADT’s repeal. 

Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs and the highest-ranking openly gay official in Pentagon history Douglas Wilson, was the keynote speaker and summed it all up by saying, “This is freaking amazing.”

Tech Sgt. Erwynn Umali and his partner, Airman Will Behrens, were the first same-sex couple to have a civil union on an American military base in New Jersey, where same-sex marriage is not legal. 

The ceremony, which took place in front of 150 friends and family, was held on Umali’s home station, McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.

Last July marked the first time gay active servicemen and women marched in uniform in a Pride Parade, after, after the Department of Defense allowed the city of San Diego the honor. The celebration drew in an estimated 200,000 attendees who cheered LGBT personnel from different military branches.

When Navy veteran, Cory Huston, dropped to one knee and asked his boyfriend, U.S. Marine Avarice Guerrero, to marry him, they became the first gay couple to get engaged on a military base. Guerrero returned from deployment and was greeted by Huston at San Diego’s Camp Pendleton, where family and friends watched the joyous occasion.

Perhaps the most memorable same-sex military kiss, with a picture that garnered 37,000 Facebook “likes,” occurred when Marine Sgt. Brandon Morgan jumped into his boyfriend, Dalan Wells’ arms and wrapped his legs around Wells’ body, and kissed him. Morgan returned from Afghanistan to Hawaii and said, “The world went away for a few minutes.”

At the stroke of midnight on Sept. 20, 2011, Navy Lt. Gary Ross wed his partner, Dan Swezy, in Vermont at the moment the repeal of DADT became official. The couple had been together for 11 years and traveled all the way from Arizona to get married in the first state to allow same-sex civil unions.

Last month, Tammy Smith became the first openly gay general officer. Because of DADT’s repeal, Smith can serve without worrying about dismissal based on her sexual orientation.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta saluted gay soldiers, saying, “Now you can be proud of serving your country, and be proud of who you are.” Panetta’s statement came just before the Pentagon’s gay pride celebration in June, when LGBT troops gathered at the first Pride celebration ever hosted by the Pentagon. This was the first time such an event occurred, where gay soldiers (former and current) could be in uniform and openly talk about their pre- and post-DADT experiences with government officials.

Last year’s Veteran’s Day was the first since DADT’s repeal. Cities across the nation honored those who have served with heartfelt tributes.

Graduation season took on new meaning for gay and lesbian students at American military service academies. LGBT students celebrated their pomp and circumstance openly for the first time and have enjoyed various other benefits (clubs for gay students and the ability to take their same-sex partners to dances) since the repeal of DADT.

Lee Reinhart was dismissed from service under DADT but became Illinois’ first openly gay man to reenlist in the U.S. Armed Forces. Democratic Congressman, Mike Quigley administered the soldier’s oath in front of a crowd in Chicago’s Center on Halsted, a community resources center for LGBT people.

Late August saw the head of the U.S. Marine Corps, James Amos, who first opposed the repeal of DADT, say openly gay service members haven’t been an issue. Amos said, “I’m very pleased with how it’s turned out. I’m very proud of the Marines.”

Last December, Air Force Col. Ginger Wallace [right] was promoted in a customary pinning ceremony, where her partner, Kathy Knopf, had the honor of being by Wallace's side. This is believed to be the first time a same-sex couple participated in such a celebration since DADT's repeal.

What a year!