US to cease ban on gays in the military

WASHINGTON - In a historic vote for gay rights, the Senate agreed to do away with the military's 17-year ban on openly gay troops and sent US President Barack Obama legislation to overturn the Clinton-era policy known as "don't ask, don't tell".

Obama was expected to sign the bill into law this week, although changes to military policy probably wouldn't take effect for at least several months. Under the bill, the president and his top military advisers must first certify that lifting the ban won't hurt troops' ability to fight. After that, the military would undergo a 60-day wait period.

The repeal would mean that, for the first time in American history, gays would be openly accepted by the armed forces and could acknowledge their sexual orientation without fear of being kicked out.