Troops Comfortable With Gays?
Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, a group that works to end the ban on openly gay people serving in the US military, announced that a new poll, from Zogby International reveals that U.S. military personnel are increasingly comfortable serving with openly gay colleagues. The poll, released Monday, reveals that 73% of military members are comfortable with lesbians and gays. Nearly one in four (23%) service members report knowing for sure that someone in their unit is lesbian or gay, including 21% of those in combat units. The Army Times reported that those more likely to agree that homosexuals should be allowed to serve were younger, with less than four years in uniform. All the troops polled have served in Iraq or Afghanistan. Personally, I would hardly call this a seismic shift, the numbers are still pretty damn low, but it could indicate a readiness for a much needed change in policy.
2 Comments so far
why are those numbers low? i was actually pretty impressed. i’m thinking that considering a large majority of servicemen come from more conservative areas, and considering the anti-gay mudslinging that’s been raging in the US since 2000, that 73% is pretty damn high.
i guess maybe you’re disappointed by the second number? if only 21-23% of soliders know someone gay in their unit, that means significantly fewer than 21% of units have soldiers who are openly gay since we have to assume that many of the people who responded positively know the same gay soldiers. i guess don’t ask don’t tell had a chilling effect.
i wonder if any of the military academies have done better studies on this.
I am not in the military and so I cannot speak from personal experience but the boyfriend is (15 years) and he is currently in Iraq. Based on what I hear form him, the Army still has a long way to go. Unfortunately, there is still a lot of homophobia.