The Navy has dropped efforts to discharge a lesbian reserve officer, and she plans to celebrate by marching Sunday in the city’s gay and lesbian parade.

“I’m looking forward to marching … without fear of looking over my shoulder,” Lt. Cmdr. (Select) Zoe Dunning said at a news conference. “From this day forward, I serve as an open lesbian in the U.S. military, with the military’s condonement.”

Federal courts around the country have issued conflicting rulings on the constitutionality of the Clinton administration’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy barring service members from declaring their homosexuality. The issue is expected to eventually reach the U.S. Supreme Court.

The decision amounts to a “street precedent,” without weight in the courts but still important to gays and lesbians in the military as a sign of progress, an American Civil Liberty Union spokesman said.