65 Yay, 31 Nay and 4 abstentions. The 57 democrat senators were joined by 8 republicans
Yeeeeeeeeeehaaaaaawwwwwwwwwww!
Congratulations American servicemen and women, you have now been granted the right to serve as openly gay, well not quite yet the president needs to sign the law also - which Barack Obama is expected to do.
UPDATE 1
US President Obama on the DADT-vote:
Today, the Senate has taken an historic step toward ending a policy that undermines our national security while violating the very ideals that our brave men and women in uniform risk their lives to defend. By ending Don't Ask, Don't Tell, no longer will our nation be denied the service of thousands of patriotic Americans forced to leave the military, despite years of exemplary performance, because they happen to be gay. And no longer will many thousands more be asked to live a lie in order to serve the country they love.
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. And I join the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as well as the overwhelming majority of service members asked by the Pentagon, in knowing that we can responsibly transition to a new policy while ensuring our military strength and readiness.
I want to thank Majority Leader Reid, Senators Lieberman and Collins and the countless others who have worked so hard to get this done. It is time to close this chapter in our history. It is time to recognize that sacrifice, valor and integrity are no more defined by sexual orientation than they are by race or gender, religion or creed. It is time to allow gay and lesbian Americans to serve their country openly. I urge the Senate to send this bill to my desk so that I can sign it into law.
UPDATE 2
Two Republicans switched their "no" cloture votes to "yes" for repeal: Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) and Sen. John Ensign (R-NV). (I have entered the updated info into the post)
Today is the biggest day for gay rights in the history of the United States of America. Due to the American federal system, the powers of the American government are specifically set by the Constitution.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the U.S. Government cannot, for example, proclaim Gay Marriage legal in all 50 states (a process which has specifically been delegated to the States unless the Supreme Court decides to intervene), they can legislate to give gays full equality and protection in areas of employment and housing, a process which is now underway.
The military in the United States has a special status perhaps not realized by those in Europe and the rest of the world. By fully accepting gay personnel, the military now sets an example for the rest of American society to embrace gay and lesbian people as normal.
Over 13,000 gays and lesbians have lost their jobs since the implementation of Don't Ask Don't Tell. They will now be welcomed back if the chose to serve. This is indeed a huge day for all gay people, as the third largest country in the world in terms of population put the last vestiges of discrimination to rest.
As Martin Luther King so eloquently put it:
Free at last,
Free at last,
thank God Almighty
I'm free at last!
Let us all celebrate this great victory for civil rights!
About bloody time!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your insightful comment, Eddi!
ReplyDeleteHell yeah, Frost ;)
Congrats to everyone fighting for a changed situation. A wall consists of bricks..you remove a brick here and there- finally the wall breaks.
ReplyDeleteDown with fanatic religious " predjudices!!
Carla
:O)