US officially lifts military ban on gays

A ban on homosexuals serving openly in the US military has officially been lifted.

The American President has signed into law his repeal of the long-standing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.

Barack Obama said: “We are not a nation that says ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’. We are a nation that says ‘out of many we are one’. We are a nation that welcomes the service of every patriot. We are a nation that believes that all men and women are created equal. Those are the ideals that generations have fought for. Those are the ideals that we uphold today.”

Gay men and lesbians were banned from serving in the military until a rule-change in 1993. President Clinton brought in a policy that allowed them to serve as long as they were not open about their sexual orientation.

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