It’s a historic day in the fight for equality in the United States  -- the military’s ban on gays from serving openly is no more.

At 12:01 am EDT, the 1993 controversial law known as Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, which allowed gays and lesbians to serve as long as they kept their sexual orientation private, was officially repealed.

“DADT” was actually repealed last December, but the military said it needed time to educate its forces to implement the change more smoothly. (Last week, the Pentagon said 97 percent of the military has undergone training in the new law).

The Army issued a simple statement Tuesday saying: "The law is repealed," and reminded soldiers to treat each other fairly.