Today, the Senate voted to end debate on a bill repealing the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. By a bipartisan vote of 63 to 33, the Senate has allowed President Obama to declare an end to a Clinton-era policy that forbid gay men and lesbians to serve openly in the military.
According to the New York Times, the vote was “a historic moment that some equated with the decision to end racial segregation in the military.” Lt. Dan Choi, a prominent gay activist and Iraq war veteran, helped to revitalize a national campaign for the repeal of the 17-year-old policy.
During today’s debate, Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon, said, “If you love this country enough to risk your life for it, you shouldn’t have to hide who you are. Republicans against the repeal, however, argued that the policy should not be changed now when American troops are fighting overseas.
Lt. Dan Choi, known as the poster boy in the campaign to repeal DADT.
