Obama Wouldn't Give Chiefs Gay 'Litmus Test'

As he promised to do in his primary

(NEWSER) - There are two things that could prevent Congress from repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell: The dwindling congressional calendar, and John McCain. Though historically open to repeal, McCain promised to preserve the law during his primary battle with JD Hayworth, the New York Times explains. Since then, he’s helped block a defense bill that has a provision to repeal the ban, and now he’s negotiating with Carl Levin to strip that provision from the bill. More»

(NEWSER) - A persuasive essay arguing against the military's ban on gay soldiers is raising hope among activists that a watershed moment is near. It's not so much because of the essay's familiar arguments—that "Don't Ask Don't Tell" hurts morale and violates civil rights—but because of its publication in a widely read Pentagon journal. "We think it is significant—a breakthrough moment," one opponent of the policy tells NPR. More»

Decision to back global decriminalization reverses Bush policy

(AP) - The Obama administration will endorse a UN declaration calling for the worldwide decriminalization of homosexuality that President Bush refused to sign, reports AP. The US was the only western government that refused to back the declaration last year, triggering stinging criticism of the Bush administration. Some 70 UN nations still outlaw homosexuality, and homosexual acts can be punished by execution in several countries. More»

(NEWSER) - "Don't ask, don't tell" works fine for Gen. Peter Pace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, because "homosexual acts are immoral" and should not be condoned any more than adultery within the ranks. Pace defended the Pentagon's current policy on gays to the Chicago Tribune, opposing proposed legislation that would repeal the ban. More»

President fires away at GOP contenters at gay rights fundraiser

(NEWSER) - Ah, election season—when politicians remember that they once had guts. President Obama swung hard at GOP presidential hopefuls last night, blasting them for not condemning the crowd that booed a gay soldier at a Republican debate on Sept. 22, reports the Hill . "We don’t believe in the kind of smallness that says it’s OK for a stage full of political leaders—one of whom could end up being the president of the United States—being silent when an American soldier is booed," Obama said at the annual dinner of the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest gay rights organization. More»