With the stroke of a pen, President Obama effectively repealed the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy on Wednesday. The policy, which was implemented under President Clinton in 1993, allowed gay and lesbian soldiers to serve in the military as long as they kept their sexuality a secret.

The President's signature follows votes in the House and the Senate to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

“No longer will tens of thousands of Americans in uniform be asked to live a lie or look over their shoulder,” the President said during the signing ceremony where he also called today "a good day."

The actions of Congress and the President haven't completely undone DADT, however. According to The Huffington Post: 

Although Obama signed the repeal of DADT into law today, the policy remains on the books. Obama, along with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Secretary of Defense, must issue a certification stating the Pentagon is prepared to implement the repeal in a manner that won't hurt readiness, effectiveness, cohesion or recruiting. DADT will still be law until 60 days after certification. Until then, therefore, servicemembers are still at risk of being discharged or investigated.

President Obama has already spoken with several military chiefs about implementing the policy change.

"The President called every single service chief separately, talked to them, and they are all about moving this forward very quickly," a White House official said. "They're soldiers; they understand this is the law of the land, and they're going to get this done. They went through a process that was beyond repute to show we can do this, and I think you'll see a very, very fast process."

Since DADT was first enacted in 1993, about 17,000 soldiers have been discharged from the military as a result of the policy.

Read more from The New York Times here and from The Huffington Post here.