In a bit of bleak Tuesday news, it looks like Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, the policy forbidding military service members from performing their duties out and proud, isn’t going anywhere right now. Senators fell 4 short of the 60 needed to even start the debate on the new defense bill.
Tuesday’s vote does not end efforts to lift the military’s 17-year ban on gays serving openly in uniform, but makes it almost impossible to ensure a repeal is included in the final House-Senate compromise version of the defense bill that lawmakers may vote on during a lame-duck session after November’s midterm elections.
Alexander Nicholson, founder and Executive Director of Servicemembers United expressed his disappointment with some criticism of the Senate:
Today’s vote is a failure of leadership on the part of those who have been duly elected to serve this nation and to put the best interests of the country ahead of partisan politics. The Senate could learn a good lesson from those who serve in uniform and who stand to benefit from proceeding to debate on this bill – serving this country means putting politics aside and getting the job done. It is simply inexcusable that this vote failed today.
For more information you can visit Just Out or CNN, and read the response from the HRC.
