BBC News, 18 December 2010
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The US Senate has approved landmark legislation allowing openly gay people to serve in the military.
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| Activists have urged President Obama to deliver on the repeal of 'don't ask, don't tell' |
Senators voted 65-31 to overturn the 1993 "don't ask, don't tell" law, which bars gay people in the military from revealing their sexual orientation.
The House of Representatives had already approved the repeal bill. President Barack Obama, who supports the move, will sign it into law.
Opponents argue that the change will damage troop morale at a time of war.
More than 13,000 service members have been dismissed under "don't ask, don't tell", enacted under President Bill Clinton.
Saturday's vote was along broad party lines, with a few moderate Republicans joining the Democratic majority in favour of lifting the ban.
'Discriminatory'
The BBC's Iain Mackenzie in Washington says the vote is a major victory for Mr Obama, who had made overturning "don't ask, don't tell" a key policy objective.
Welcoming the Senate move, the president said it meant "thousands of patriotic Americans" would not be forced to leave the military "because they happen to be gay".
The repeal will take effect after a 60-day period allowing the defence department to consider how to implement the new policy.
Aubrey Sarvis, head of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, an advocacy group, said: "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."
Earlier this month, a Pentagon report said that allowing openly gay troops would have little impact on the cohesion of US forces fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Democrats, who still control both house of Congress, have said they want to approve the repeal before the start of a new Congress in January.
Pledge: President Barack Obama kept a 2008 election
promise by signing the repeal of the controversial
'Don't ask, don't tell' policy banning gays from serving
in the U.S. military (Daily Mail)
Related Article:
About the Challenges of Being a Gay Man – Oct 23, 2010 (Saint Germain channeled by Alexandra Mahlimay and Dan Bennack) - “You see, your Soul and Creator are not concerned with any perspective you have that contradicts the reality of your Divinity – whether this be your gender, your sexual preference, your nationality – or your race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, or anything else.”
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