(Reuters) -
New Pentagon rules allowing gays to serve openly
in the U.S. military prohibit separate bathroom
facilities based on sexual orientation and say not
all benefits will be extended to same-sex dependents.
The Pentagon issued new guidelines on Friday as
a first step to ending the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"
policy that forces gays to keep their preferences
secret in order to serve in the military.
Congress repealed the policy last month but gave
the military an unspecified amount of time to prepare
the sweeping change. President Barack Obama said
in his State of the Union address this week the change
would be enforced this year.
The new guidelines ask the military top brass for precise
plans within a week to implement the policy.
