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How many soldiers have been discharged since don't ask, don't tell was enacted?

By Ramon Johnson, About.com

A man sits rejected by a military recruitment center because he is gay.

A man sits rejected by a military recruitment center because he is gay.

copy; Scott Olson/Getty Images
Question: How many soldiers have been discharged since don't ask, don't tell was enacted?
Answer: According to Servicemember's Legal Defense Network, an advocacy organization for LGBT military personnel, over 12,500 servicemembers have been discharged from the U.S. military since the "don't ask, don't tell" policy was signed into law (1993) and enacted in 1994.

The Washington Post reports Pentagon data stating that on average, more than 1,000 service members were discharged each year from 1997 to 2001, but numbers have slowed in the past five years to an average below 730.

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