WASHINGTON -- Although both chambers of Congress have now passed a repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT) and the President is expected to sign the legislation into law this week, LGBT advocacy organizations are warning gay and lesbian soldiers not to reveal their sexuality or re-enlist in the military quite yet. 
 
 "While the immediate impact of this bill may inspire folks from across the nation, it is important to note that full implementation has yet to take place, and that it is not yet safe for service members to disclose their sexual orientation," wrote the Human Rights Campaign on its blog Saturday afternoon. 
 
 Even after Obama signs the repeal into law, he -- along with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Defense Secretary -- 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. 
 
 "I respectfully ask Defense Secretary Robert Gates to use his authority to suspend all 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' investigations during this interim period," said Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of the advocacy group Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. "Until the President signs the bill, until there is certification, and until the 60-day Congressional period is over, no one should be investigated or discharged under this discriminatory law." 
 
 According to Metro Weekly both Sens. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Carl Levin (D-Mich.) endorse this approach. 
 
 A Defense Department spokeswoman told the Huffington Post, "The current law remains in effect until certification takes place. As Secretary Gates has said in his statement [yesterday], the Department will immediately proceed with the planning necessary to carry out this change carefully, methodically but purposefully." The White House did not return a request for comment. 
 
 Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said he will sign on to certification "only after careful consultation with the military service chiefs and our combatant commanders and when I am satisfied that those conditions have been met for all the Services, commands and units." Although several of the service chiefs advocated against repeal during their testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, they all said they were confident they could implement the change and make it work. 
 
 "Certification and the 60-day Congressional requirement must be wrapped up no later than the first quarter of 2011," Sarvis told ABC News. "The bottom line: for now, gay, lesbian, and bisexual service members must remain cautiously closeted." 
 
 During this two-month period, Congress may hold hearings to review the Pentagon's policies and plans for implementation, which would likely re-air many concerns of opponents who were against repealing DADT in the first place. 
 
 ||||| Moments ago, the Senate voted 65-31 on final passage of the bill that will initiate the repeal the 17 year old law known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” marking the beginning of the end for this outdated and discriminatory law. Joining nearly every Democrat in this historic vote, 8 Republicans stood on right side of history in voting to strengthen our military, and affirming that sexual orientation does not affect one’s ability to serve their nation. 
 
 The bill now goes to President Obama, and once being signed into law, the process of implementing repeal can begin. 
 
 “America made history today. After 17 years of this failed and discriminatory law, gay and lesbian service members will soon be able to serve with the full honor and integrity the uniform demands. No longer will patriots be forced to lie in order to serve the country they love and are willing to die for,“ said HRC President Joe Solmonese. “This vote by the United States Senate will have extremely positive ripple effects well beyond ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’ Our government has sent a powerful message that discrimination, on any level, should not be tolerated. “ 
 
 So many people have made this work possible, from volunteers and organizers deployed across the U.S., Advocates in Washington and in the states, outspoken veterans and service members and the countless supporters that called, emailed, made visits to lawmakers and used online tools to get the word out about repeal. For a summary of HRC’s work on repeal, click here. 
 
 All of us here at the Human Rights Campaign want to thank everyone for all that you have done. 
 
 Today’s vote caps off two weeks of frenetic, roller-coaster activity. Last week, the Senate voted for the second time against allowing debate to begin on the National Defense Authorization Act, to which DADT repeal was attached. As a result, Senators Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced a stand-alone repeal bill in the Senate. This Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a DADT bill sponsored by Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and Representative Patrick Murphy (D-PA). That bill was advanced to the Senate and voted on today; this afternoon’s historic victory followed a successful 63-33 vote to end debate this morning. 
 
 While the immediate impact of this bill may inspire folks from across the nation, it is important to note that full implementation has yet to take place, and that it is not yet safe for service members to disclose their sexual orientation.
– The Pentagon's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy concerning gays might be dead, but don't be too quick to come out of the military closet, advocates are warning gays. "While the immediate impact of this bill may inspire folks from across the nation, it is important to note that full implementation has yet to take place, and that it's not yet safe for service members to disclose their sexual orientation," wrote the Human Rights Campaign on its website. Even after President Obama signs the measure, as he is expected to do, the Pentagon must issue a certification stating that it's prepared to implement the measure in a way that won't damage its readiness, effectiveness, or recruiting. Until then, service members can still be investigated and discharged for being gay. Gay rights groups, however, have asked than any discharges over sexual orientation be suspended during the transition period. But a Defense Department spokesman told the Huffington Post that the "current law remains in effect until certification takes place." And Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said he'll agree to certification "only after careful consultation" with military officials and "when I am satisfied that conditions have been met for all the services, commands and units."