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At last! US Senate votes to repeal discriminatory ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ policy against gay military personnel!

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is dead!
The United States Senate on Saturday finally struck down the ban on gay men and lesbians serving openly in the military.
By a vote of 65 to 31, the senators are ending a 17-year struggle over a discriminatory  policy that forced thousands of Americans from the ranks – many with decades of faithful service – and caused others to keep secret their sexual orientation.
This is wonderful news and so long overdue. It’s been a shameful policy for gay and lesbian members of the military who have only wanted to serve their country openly without fear of being discharged.
http://www.sandiegonewsnet.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/President-Barack-Obama.jpgPresident Barack Obama will sign the new law next week and said in a statement: “As commander in chief, I am also absolutely convinced that making this change will only underscore the professionalism of our troops as the best led and best trained fighting force the world has ever known.”
Sen. Joseph Lieberman led the effort in the senate to end the ban with the opposition led by his longtime friend Sen. John McCain of Airzona.
“We righted a wrong,” Lieberman said. “Today we’ve done justice.”
According to the New York Times, McCain remained unrelenting in his opposition: “I hope that when we pass this legislation that we will understand that we are doing great damage. And we could possibly and probably, as the commandant of the Marine Corps said, and as I have been told by literally thousands of members of the military, harm the battle effectiveness vital to the survival of our young men and women in the military.”

Scott Brown and Lisa Murkowski are pictured. | AP Photos

Eight Republicans bucked their party in backing the repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, potentially risking a backlash from the conservative base while giving the historic vote a stronger bipartisan finish than many expected.

According to Politico, the Republican senators voting “yes” with the Democrats on repeal were Richard Burr of North Carolina, Mark Kirk of Illinois, John Ensign of Nevada, Scott Brown of Massachusetts, George Voinovich of Ohio, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska – and Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, both of Maine. (Brown and Murkowski are pictured above).

Columnist Steve Rothaus of the Miami Herald has gotten exclusive reaction from Lt. Dan Choi, perhaps the nation’s best-known gay ex-Army soldier.

http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/05/11/art.dan.choi.jpg“It is a good time and I’m re-energized for this,” Choi said Saturday afternoon just after the vote “I am sorry for anyone who might have been upset by my particular methods, but we all came to this together.”

“You have my exclusive thoughts,” said Choi, who was discharged Thursday night from a Cambridge, Mass., hospital after suffering a nervous breakdown last week. “It’s not done. No way. Everyone knew when this vote happens, that only begins the real process of ‘don’t ask don’t tell’ in the hearts of the soldiers who are closeted and waiting to come out.

Choi said Saturday’s vote “does nothing to embrace equality, real equality, other than allow us to start the work.

“This with the stroke of a pen doesn’t make the world more fully American. It makes the books more fully American.”

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4hfeiYr3Zq4/S2ChR2UmBXI/AAAAAAAAHqM/2GF0m7cEiIo/s400/4.jpgAmerican Foundation for Equal Rights Board President Chad Griffin (pictured, right) has just released a statement: “Today’s vote to end the egregious and discriminatory Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell law is a major victory for the millions of patriotic gay and lesbian Americans who have and who continue to serve their country honorably.  This historic vote is also a victory for the principles on which our nation was founded: all Americans are equal under the law and no one should be subject to discrimination.”

“Today it further evidence that the fight for equal rights for gay and lesbian Americans, which has historically been seen as a partisan issue is increasingly becoming bipartisan.  Just as conservative Ted Olson and liberal David Boies came together in the fight for marriage equality, we are glad to see that the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell had strong bipartisan support, and that Republican Senators Brown, Burr, Ensign, Kirk, Voinovich, Collins, Murkowski and Snowe and Independent Senator Joe Lieberman worked alongside their Democratic colleagues to end this unfair policy and to take a stand for human rights.

“Finally, we want to congratulate and thank the Servicemembers Legal Defense Fund, Human Rights Campaign, Center for American Progress, Lt. Dan Choi and the many others who fought long and hard to close this cruel chapter of government-sanctioned discrimination. The American Foundation for Equal Rights will continue its work to ensure all Americans are treated equally and share the same fundamental constitutional rights.”

FILE UNDER: Politics

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  1. This is a most awesome day! Long, long overdue.

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