Top US officials hailed a Senate vote Saturday that will for the first time allow gay men and lesbians to serve openly in the military but said it would take time to implement the bill.

President Barack Obama lauded as an “historic step” the Senate’s repeal of the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy – which forced gay troops to keep their sexual orientation secret – and was expected to sign it into law next week.

But it will only take effect once Obama, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Admiral Mike Mullen – all of whom supported the bill – certify that the new regulations will not undermine the military.

Full Story from the Inquirer

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This afternoon, after the earlier 63-33 vote to invoke cloture on the stand-alone Don’t Ask Don’t Tell repeal bill, the Senate voted 65-31 to finalize the repeal bill and send it to President Obama’s desk.

According to Towleroad.com, while the end of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell will then be in sight, there are still a couple hurdles:

“But even after President Obama signs repeal into law, DADT will still be with us. As you recall, the repeal bill makes an end to DADT contingent upon certification from Secrertary Gates and others before the policy will actually die away. This is to allow the military sufficient time for implementation.”

Coincidentally, we were just watching the end of season three of Queer as Folk, and something Deb said sent shivers up our spines:

“Mourn the losses, for they are many.  But celebrate the wins, because they are few.”

Today is a day for celebration.

The bid to repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell” is heading for a crucial showdown in the Senate, where supporters say they have the votes to overturn a ban on gay people serving openly in the U.S. military.

Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., said Saturday that the Senate action does not “just right a wrong” but it would “honor the service of a group of American patriots who happen to be gay and lesbian.”

Lieberman has said he has more than enough votes to get past a procedural roadblock and move ahead with passing repeal. The restrictions on the military service of gay people have been part of federal law since 1993.

Full Story from USA Today

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If Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is going to be repealed by Congress this year, it will be because the Senate found the time to do it. That’s what the long battle to end the military’s ban on openly gay servicemembers has come down to: a Republican Senator, and the number of days before Christmas.

Unfortunately for proponents of repeal, how those two factors play out is very much an open question.

Yesterday, the House passed a standalone DADT repeal bill — the second repeal legislation to leave the House this year. The bill means that the House is well and truly done with DADT repeal. A bipartisan coalition of 275 House members weighed in and voted yes on repeal yesterday, sending the action to the Senate once and for all.

Full Story from TPM

Click here for gay marriage resources.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.