On July 19, 1993, President Bill Clinton announced a new policy regarding gays and lesbians serving in the U.S. military service. Although officially barred from the military, members of the LGBT community had long served their country. Following decades of civil rights advocacy to secure equal rights, LGBT military personnel and their supporters began to put pressure on the military to formally allow their service. After a lengthy process, Clinton announced a policy that came to be known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” which allowed gays and lesbians to serve in the military but only if kept their sexual orientation private. In return, the military agreed to no longer ask recruits about their orientation.