Poll: Majority support gays serving openly in military
Paul Steinhauser
CNN Deputy Political Director
Washington (CNN) – A national poll released Monday indicates that a majority of Americans say they favor allowing gays to serve openly in the armed forces.
The Pew survey's release comes one day before the Pentagon is expected to release a report on how military personnel feel about the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, which bans openly gay troops for serving in the armed forces.
According to the poll, 58 percent of the public approves of allowing homosexuals to serve openly, with 27 percent saying they are opposed. Pew surveys indicate little change over the past five years, but the 31-point margin in favor of allowing gays to serve is much larger than than the seven-point margin in Pew polls from the summer of 1994, when President Bill Clinton put the controversial policy in place.
A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll conducted earlier in November indicated that more than seven in 10 Americans said that people who are openly gay or lesbian should be allowed to serve in the military, with 23 percent opposed.
Full story on the CNN Political Ticker
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Filed under: 360° Radar • Gay & Lesbian Issues |
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Who is being asked about gays serving the military? I can tell you that I know several soldiers of all ranks and on different posts have never been ask nor have ask to take a vote of this situation. I will say that, if the military holds a ballot of some sort to all service members wheather they should allow open gays serve and it passes then let it pass. If it fails, well then it fails and don't bring it up again. The public nor the politicians should have a vote or a say so, without a legit answer from the ones who have served or are serving now. Lets solve the answer now by having a vote today.
Anderson,
You should also bring up the point that DADT allows straight people to abuse the policy when they decide they do not want to continue serving this country. I have witnessed straight people telling their subordinates that they are gay as an easy way out. -Active duty sailor
I do not support gays or lesbians serving openly in infantry units but other sectors of the military are fine. The infantry units are designed differently and it is critical that the marines and soldiers are focused on the mission and not an unecessary distractions.
On don't ask, don't tell...
Why haven't you brought up the fact that other civilized countries have long accepted gays in their military...like Canada, England, Germany, and Israel. The U.S. is way behind the rest of the civilized world on this issue.
People need to review the definition of stereotype and realize that not every gay and lesbian falls into that category. Why is it that we cannot just see someone as a person? If someone has the desire to fight for our country who are we to judge and stop them?