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July 22, 2008

Poll: 75% of Americans Support Gays in Military

Poll: 75% of Americans Support Gays in Military

Seventy-five percent of Americans believe that gays and lesbians should be allowed to serve in the US military, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

The Washington Post reported that the number of Americans who support gays in the military is up from 62% in 2001 and 44% in 1993.

Eighty percent of registered Democrats support the repeal of "don’t ask, don’t tell," a policy barring gay service men and women from serving openly in the military. Enacted 15 years ago under the Clinton administration, the push for the repeal of DADT is gaining momentum. The Post reported that support from Republicans has doubled from 32% to 64% since DADT was enacted.

The Post-ABC poll, conducted between July 10 and July 13, also showed that more than 80% of women support gays in the military, compared with approximately 67% of men. (The Advocate)

Keywords:  DADT 
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Reader Comments

These comments are reproduced as written by visitors to this Web site. They have not been edited for content, grammar, or spelling. The viewpoints appearing here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or views of advocate.com, The Advocate, or its affiliates.

  • Name: L. Clark Williams
    Date posted: 2008-07-23 1:11 PM
    Hometown: Salinas, CA

    Comment:

    I am a middle-aged gay man who is an American purely by accident of birth, not desire. I support "Don't Ask, Don't Tell". If it keeps even one gay man or lesbian from serving in the military and getting killed for a country that continues to treat us as second-class citizens, it has fulfilled its desired purpose. In fact, I believe gay men and lesbians should be accorded an honorable deferment from serving in the military or being drafted as cannon fodder. Instead, maybe we could be more useful serving in the Peace Corps, making the world a better place. I certainly wouldn't lift a trigger finger to defend this country!


  • Name: Ann
    Date posted: 2008-07-22 6:05 PM
    Hometown: steubenville, Ohio

    Comment:

    I disagree homosexuals should not be allowed to serve openly in the military. I would like to know where the Washington Post gets their surveys and where they do them. They have not polled me or others. I am wondering if the polls come from the homoseuxal communities. Of course the washigton Post is a liberal paper like the New York times, so what else can I expect.


  • Name: Roger Burr
    Date posted: 2008-07-22 11:56 AM
    Hometown: Marble Hill, MO

    Comment:

    Hooray... I'm glad to hear so many people support repeal of this antiquated policy. Gays and Lesbians are just as patriotic and desirous of service in the armed forces as anyone else. That said, I also want to see country-wide support for same-sex marriage, adoption rights, etc. If we are going to be acknowledged as 'qualified to openly die for our country', then we damn well need to enjoy ALL the benefits of LIVING in this country.


  • Name: Bob
    Date posted: 2008-07-22 8:35 AM
    Hometown: New York, New York

    Comment:

    Maybe now the government will stop discharging some of the most important men and women in the US military. I mean, seriously, don't we NEED our Arabic and Korean linquists??? Get over it and let these people protect us! Jeesh. This from an ABC story from 2006: "A 2004 study by the Government Accountability Office found that of the 9,488 service members discharged from the military for gay and lesbian conduct, approximately 757 -- or 8 percent -- "held critical occupations," meaning the kinds of jobs for which the Pentagon offers selective reenlistment bonuses. That number included 322 with "skills in an important language such as Arabic, Farsi, or Korean.""


  • Name: Paul
    Date posted: 2008-07-22 12:20 AM
    Hometown: New York

    Comment:

    I say we get our full civil rights - like marriage - before having to go off and risk our lives for a country that doesn't believe we deserve them.


  • Name: Michel Bauer
    Date posted: 2008-07-21 1:59 PM
    Hometown: Joplin

    Comment:

    I hope someday Americans realize that a lot of the soldiers who have defended us in the past (and many of those who are defending us now) are lesbian, gay, and bisexuals. These are excellent people. They need to be free to serve without fear of discharge for simply being themselves.


  • Name: Robert
    Date posted: 2008-07-21 12:43 PM
    Hometown: Jacksoneville NC

    Comment:

    man with numbers like that, its hard to egnore it. I would like to serve in the medical core of the navy without fear of being outed and tossed. I'd also hope i would be insured the right to have equal protection for my family whenever i get hitched and he and i had kids. But all that at once seems kinda far off still...


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