SAN DIEGO -- Such a major civil rights advance as the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) will only happen once and it was cause for celebration.

And in a large military town like San Diego, which is home to hundreds, if not thousands of gay and lesbian servicemembers, the celebrations were aplenty.

Immediately following the "Freedom to Serve" ceremony held Tuesday evening at The Center in front of a standing-room-only crowd, community members fanned out to bars and restaurants throughout Hillcrest and surrounding neighborhoods to continue the celebration.

SAN DIEGO -- As the nation gears up for the end of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) on Sept. 20, Rep. Susan Davis (D-San Diego) will share her experience working to repeal the policy during a presentation at The Center at the end of the month.

“A Talk with Congresswoman Susan Davis – The Repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell from an Insider’s Perspective” will be presented at 5:30 pm Wednesday, Aug. 31, at The Center, 3909 Centre St. in Hillcrest.

SAN DIEGO -- "We are celebrating the beginning of the end" of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," Dr. Delores Jacobs, CEO of The Center, said at the "Countdown to Justice!" celebration on Monday night.

A crowd of about 75 people -- including active duty servicemembers, veterans, community leaders, elected officials and others -- gathered in the auditorium of The Center to celebrate Friday's certification of the repeal of the military's DADT policy.

Gay and lesbian servicemembers will be allowed to openly serve in the U.S. armed forces beginning Sept. 20.

We may have won in Congress last year, but that hasn’t stopped some opponents from finding new ways to strike against LGBT service members. This week marks a moment to take action.