U.S. military's gay policy up for change

WASHINGTON, Jan. 14 (UPI) -- The incoming Obama administration will work to get legislation through Congress to end the military's so-called don't ask, don't tell policy, a spokesman says.

Robert Gibbs said in a YouTube posting last Friday that President-elect Barack Obama is committed to ending the policy banning openly gay men and women from serving in the U.S. armed forces, CNN reports.

"There are many challenges facing our nation now and the president-elect is focused first and foremost on jump-starting this economy," Gibbs said Wednesday. "So not everything will get done in the beginning but he's committed to following through ... ."

Such a change has been opposed by the military in past years. A bill introduced in the House last session by Rep. Martin Meehan, D-Massachusetts, had 149 co-sponsors but never came up for a full vote. It hasn't been reintroduced this year.