White House: Obama Will Push Lame-Duck Congress to Legalize Homosexuality in U.S. Armed Forces
- Fred Lucas - CNSNews.com
- Oct 20, 2010
Washington (CNSNews.com) – In the lame duck session of Congress, which follows the Nov. 2 elections to when the new Congress is sworn in on Jan. 3, 2011, President Barack Obama will push the Senate to pass a bill that includes an amendment to end the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy and allow homosexuality in the U.S. armed forces, according to White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs.
While “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) is a directive in Defense Department rules, it stems from a federal law (10 U.S.C. 654) enacted by Congress in 1993, which prohibits homosexuals from serving in the military. Under DADT, military officials are not supposed to ask, and soldiers are not supposed to disclose whether they are homosexual.
The House passed a Defense bill in May that includes an amendment that would repeal most elements of 10 U.S.C. 654 and thereby allow the Defense Department to eliminate the DADT policy. That bill must be passed by the Senate, however, and then signed by the president to become law.
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