In his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama called for an end to the "Don’t ask, don’t tell" law, which bars homosexuals from military service but allows service members to keep their personal lives – including their sexual orientation – private. "It is the right thing to do," Obama said in his Jan. 27 speech before both houses of Congress. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates appointed a panel of officials, who will explore ways to change the law. Shortly after the speech, Gates mentioned a June conversation he had with Obama, in which they pondered the strict language of "Don’t ask, don’t tell." "What we have is a law, not a policy or regulation," Gates said. "It doesn’t leave a lot to the imagination or a lot of flexibility."