国际英语新闻：U.S. Congress abolishes military gay ban

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Senate on Saturday voted to repeal a Clinton-era ban on gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military, sending the measure, previously passed by the House of Representatives, for President Barack Obama's signature.

The Senate passed the measure with a 65 to 31 vote. The Senate earlier in the day cleared the path for the repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law with a 63-33 test vote. 60 votes were need to advance the measure in the chamber's floor.

The White House, which has been awaiting the passage of the measure, sent out a Twitter message by Press Secretary Robert Gibbs immediately following the passage of the measure, saying Obama is to sign the new law next week.

In a statement earlier in the day, the White House said Obama has been reaching out to Senators from both sides of the aisle to help secure votes on the issue even this morning.

The "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, which was introduced as a compromise measure in 1993 by then-president Bill Clinton, prohibits homosexuals to serve openly in the military. It has been a major contentious issue in U.S. politics. Critics including gay rights groups argue that the policy violates the rights of gay military members to free speech and open association.

The issue has come under increasing scrutiny as a lawsuit challenging the 17-year-old law worked its way through the federal courts this year, and is scheduled to be heard by a federal appeals court in the spring.

Obama, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen have said they support congressional repeal of the law. The Pentagon has conducted a comprehensive study this year on military personnel's opinion on repealing the ban, noting that "strong majority" of the military do not object to gays and lesbians serving openly, and said the repeal won't affect military readiness.

However, the repeal still faced opposition from Republicans and senior military officials. Army Chief of Staff George Casey and Marine Corps Commandant James Amos both voiced concern about repealing the law, saying repealing it during war time is a distraction.

However, Obama said he is "absolutely convinced that making this change will only underscore the professionalism of our troops " and he knows "that we can responsibly transition to a new policy while ensuring our military strength and readiness."

In a statement, Gates said the ban will remain military policy for a little longer, as the president and Pentagon must first certify that lifting the ban won't hurt troops' ability to fight. After that, the military will undergo a 60-day wait period before any changes are made.