Gay America rejoices

This week will give Barack Obama’s liberal credentials a significant boost. On December 18th, the Senate had a  successful cloture vote in favour of a bill to repeal “Don’t ask, don’t tell”. DADT as it is commonly known restricts the US military from trying to discover or reveal closeted gay, lesbian, and bisexual service members, while it bars those who are openly gay, lesbian, or bisexual from military service. The bill has now passed in both Houses of Congress and it only awaits President Obama’s signature. As my friend R. Clarke Cooper, Executive Director of the Log Cabin Republicans, and one of several prominent ex-officers to lead the fight against the discrimination, said: “With this vote, we have crossed one of the final hurdles standing in the way of ending the failed ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy.”

Since 1993 various initiatives to repeal the Truman era restrictions on homosexuals serving in the military have failed.