Wednesday, September 07, 2005

Nearly 60% Now Support Gays Serving in Uniform

(Link) Pardon the pun, but do you think the outrage over the discharge of qualified Arabic linguists had anything to do with it? Or is it the guys and gals now quietly out to their military co-workers, knowing they won't be booted during wartime?
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1 comment:

LNewsEditor said...

JIC Post:
From GayWired

58% of Americans support allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the US military, up from 52% in 1994, according to a new poll.

The percentage of those who strongly opposed allowing open service fell from 26% in 1994 to 15% in 2005. The poll was reported recently in the New York Times and was released by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life and the Pew Research Centre for the People.

According to the study, "solid majorities of seculars (72%), white Catholics (72%) and mainline Protestants (63%) believe gays and lesbians should be allowed to serve openly in the nation's military."

The poll follows other recent polls showing growing support for allowing gays to serve openly.

A March 2005 Boston Globe poll revealed 79% of Americans support allowing open service. Recent Gallup polls have reported between 65% and 79% support for lifting the military's gay ban. The Annenberg Survey reported in October that half of junior enlisted personnel and their families support allowing gays to serve. And in 2003, FOX News reported 64% support for allowing gays to serve.

"The public recognizes that discrimination against lesbian, gay and bisexual service members cannot be more important than protecting national security," says Kathi S. Westcott, senior counsel for law and policy for SLDN.

"Support for allowing gays to serve openly continues to grow among all Americans, regardless of political ideology. Congress should heed the views of their constituents and repeal 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'."

The Pew poll was a survey of 1,000 adults taken between July 7 and July 17. The margin of error is 3.5%.

9/07/2005 9:30 AM

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