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75% of Americans want to allow openly gay people in the military


  3. LindseyIndigo
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A new survey by the Washington Post and ABC News has found that three-quarters of Americans think that openly gay, lesbian and bisexual people should be allowed to serve in the military.

64% of Republicans and nearly two thirds of self-described conservatives backed a change in the current law, as did 57% of white evangelical Protestants and 82% of white Catholics.

It was Republican opposition that forced then-President Bill Clinton to abandon his pledge to allow gay people to serve and signed into law the compromise known as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

Since 1993 gay people who do not reveal their sexuality can serve, and commanding officers are not meant to ask service personnel about their sexual orientation.

More than 12,000 gay men and women have been discharged under the current law, at an estimated cost of more than $363 million (£182.6m).

The new poll of 1,119 Americans, taken earlier this month, shows how support for gays in the military has steadily increased, from 44% in 1993 to 62% in 2001 to 75% today.

The current policy prohibits anyone who "demonstrates a propensity or intent to engage in homosexual acts" to serve in the US Armed Forces.

An estimated 65,000 lesbian and gay service members serve on active duty and in the reserves of the United States military, according to gay advocacy group the Servicemembers Legal Defence Network.

It said it knows of about 500 gay army members who are serving openly without any consequences.

In March US Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama told leading gay publication The Advocate he supports a repeal of the gay ban and is hopeful it can be achieved.

His Republican opponent John McCain does not favour gays serving openly.

With 75% of the population in support, is it time for the American military to finally change its policy?
LindseyIndigo

19 responses // 75% of Americans want to allow openly gay people in the military

  • For the time being, I support the "Don't ask don't tell" policy. It is a substantial obstical to re-instituting "the draft".

    It is simply not possible to have a viable military draft as long as the simple statement "I'm gay" will exempt you from induction.

    I am so cynical on this issue, that I believe that if Don't Ask, don't Tell is abandoned, serious attempts to re-institute the draft will follow within months.
    seeker561
  • What's wrong with gay people in the military? Are they too fruity to hold a gun? ... Make that 76% of Americans.
    Eri_Soulja
  • ha ha ha, this is rich, i agree with the first statement, kinda like it, it gives us a secret out, i guess its our one up after loosing the right to marry our lover.
    arghENMY
  • " ....i guess its our one up after loosing the right to marry our lover. "

    Can't lose what you never had in the first place.

    Does it not seem odd that more people support the right to die than support the right to love?
    seeker561
    1 response to this
  • I have one thing to say to prejudiced people everywhere, especially on the issues of sexuality: You know more gay people than you think. I promise.

    I hope that makes people feel better.

    This is long overdue. Don't ask, Don't tell?? What a disgrace.
    JudahEvan
  • I have one thing to say to this. Is a homosexual man going to come on to a man any more than a heterosexual man would to a woman? That's basically asking people to conceal their GENDERS.
    OfficiallyVish
  • I skeptical of all statistics, because you can pretty much find "statistics" to support all sides of the same fence.

    On just the first page of my google search, I found different articles, each claiming 25%, 55%, 68% and 75% (this article came up on the search), of Americans in favor of open gay marriage in the military, all written within the last 2 years.
    AlinaJette
  • Think about the men "in combat" the rest of the military is irrelevant. Some men in the infantry would be fine with homo-sexuals fighting next to them, but some would be extremely offended by them and would make the battleground a distraction. The war zone is different than home. When and if they get a shower they usually have to share them. For a southern boy who hates gays it would make the situation difficult. It would take his mind off of his objective of killing. Gays in the military i think would be fine as long as they were excluded from the killers. I would be fine if they were shuffling paper in the back or were dental specialist. I just think it would be a distraction for the infantry and calvary.

    REP THAT SHIT ARMY
    clayjj05
  • Clay

    That's the same argument as when integration of races was implemented in the army.

    It doesn't matter if some ignorant dickhole doesn't like someone, tough shit. Lots of folks don't like blacks or latinos, we're not kicking them out of the army to appease racists are we?

    It's the same logic.

    Gays can fight, fuck whoever is "offended" by that.

    Anyways, this article was already posted.
    Saladin
    7 responses to this
  • "We won't let you have the same rights as everyone else, but we'll sure as hell let you go out and die for us!"
    necrotized
  • Its funny, in Israel where we have to draft, one could state that he is gay and they will let him off the hook. But on the other hand, a lot of gay people do join the army here and do a good job at it.
    Flying_Camel

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