This afternoon the U.S. Senate finally granted gay members of the military the same right to serve their country regardless of personal sexual preferences enjoyed by their straight comrades-in-arms, except the right to marry, of course. Even a handful of Republicans voted for the repeal. I wonder what they’re going to tell the knuckledragging homophobes back in their home states?

Senate Repeals Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell

by Evan McMorris-Santoro
TPMDC
Dec. 18, 2010

With just a signature from President Obama, a ban on openly gay servicemembers will no longer be the law of the land.

By a vote of 65 to 31 this afternoon, the Senate voted to repeal the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. Republican Senators Scott Brown, Richard Burr, Susan Collins, John Ensign, Mark Kirk, Lisa Murkowski, Olympia Snowe and George Voinovich joined Democrats in the final vote to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Burr and Ensign did not vote with the Democrats earlier in the day when the GOP filibuster was broken, but signed on for the final vote.

Read the rest here.