The U.S. Senate has passed a bill that allows gay men and women to serve openly in the military.
Gays were prohibited from serving in the military until 1993, when President Bill Clinton introduced the so-called "Don't ask, Don't tell" policy, which allowed them to serve as long as they kept their sexual orientation secret.
The measure, approved by a 65-31 vote on Saturday, gives U.S. President Barack Obama the chance to fulfill his campaign promise to end the 17-year-old policy.
"As the president has long said, ending 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' and allowing gay men and women to serve openly in the military, will strengthen our national security while upholding the basic equality on which this nation was founded," the White House said in a statement.
Obama is expected to sign the bill into law as early as next week, but the new rules will not be introduced immediately.
The document says the president and his top military advisers must first certify that lifting the ban will not hurt the fighting ability of the U.S. Armed Forces, and subsequently gives the military 60 days as a "transition period."
According to official data, more than 13,000 men and women have been expelled from the U.S. military while "Don't ask, Don't tell" policy was in effect.
WASHINGTON, December 19 (RIA Novosti)
