House Votes to Repeal Don't Ask

The military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy on gay service members took another big step towards becoming history tonight after the House voted 234-193 in favor of repeal. The Senate Armed Services Committee had earlier voted 16-12 of favor of repeal. Both measures won't implement repeal until after a Pentagon study on its impact on troops is completed in December, Politico reports.

Twenty-six House Democrats voted against repeal, while five Republicans voted in favor. Rep. Barney Frank, one of the few openly gay lawmakers in Congress, slammed those who defended the ban on gays serving openly, noting that other countries don't have similar bans. "Those who tell me that the presence of gay and lesbian members of the military undermine the effectiveness of a fighting force and undermine unit cohesion must have never heard of Israel," he said. (More House of Representatives stories.)