After last week's scandal over a Pentagon 1996 document classifying homosexuality as a mental disorder, the Department of Defense has reassessed its position — and is updating its paperwork. Lt. Colonel Jeremy Mertan from the Office of the Secretary of Defense's public affairs office told PageOneQ:

The directive has been reviewed, homosexuality should not have been characterized as a mental disorder in an appendix of a procedural instruction. A clarification will be issued over the next few days. Notwithstanding its inclusion, we find no practical impact since that appendix simply listed factors that do NOT constitute a physical disability, and homosexuality of course does not.

None of this, of course, changes the way gays in the military are treated when it comes to being public with their sexuality. So, as long as you kept your orientation a secret anyway, it'd be hard to discharge you for a mental disorder. Such progress!

Pentagon reverses on listing of homosexuality as mental illness [PageOneQ]
Earlier: Pentagon Calls Homosexuality A 'Mental Disorder'