Lesbian cadet Katherine Miller refused readmission to West Point
Katherine Miller, the lesbian cadet who resigned from West Point military academy last year over the don’t ask don’t tell policy, has had her bid for readmission refused.
Ohio-born Ms Miller, 21, who left the academy because she refused to lie about her sexuality, became a prominent figure in the fight to end the policy.
Officials at the US Military Academy say they reached the only decision they were able to, as the repeal of the policy is not yet in full effect.
The policy’s repeal did not take immediate effect after President Obama’s signing of the legislation last December, as training and certification are required before the ban is lifted.
Lieutenant Colonel Sherri Reed, the academy’s director of public affairs said in a statement: “While at the academy Ms. Miller remained in good standing and had done exceptionally well academically, militarily and physically, the choice to seek re-admission is available to her once the repeal process is completed.”
The don’t ask don’t tell policy was adopted under President Bill Clinton’s administration in 1993 as a compromise. President Clinton however, wanted to repeal the ban entirely, but a significant number of voices in both the military and Congress argued against it, claiming that the ban kept order, and that its repeal would cause disruption.
