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. ||||| From Jim Miklaszewski 
 
 Opponents of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy are celebrating today's Senate vote to dismantle the ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the military, but the actual repeal of the law could take up to a year to go into full effect. 
 
 In its present form, the bill states that repeal will not take effect until 60 days after Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen and President Barack Obama "certify" that the U.S. military is prepared for implementation. 
 
 Secretary Gates has predicted that the process of certification could take up to a year. 
 
 So what happens next? 
 
 Under the expected procedure, the Defense Department will conduct servicewide training and education for all active duty, reserve and national guard forces, and make whatever adjustments in procedures and facilities are necessary. Only then would Gates and Mullen certify the military is prepared to implement the repeal. 
 
 During that process, the Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel would also issue a servicewide memo instructing any gay or lesbian servicemembers not to openly declare their sexual orientation because they could potentially be subject to separation from the military. 
 
 The reality is, however, that under the more stringent guidelines for enforcement of the law implemented in October, there have been no servicemembers discharged from the military. So it would be unlikely that anyone would be forced out of the military during the certification process. 
 
 Msnbc.com's Carrie Dann contributed.
– 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."