Soldiers Okay with Gays

According to a survey released by the Department of Defense on 11/30, the majority of U.S. troops feel that serving with an openly gay service member would not have a negative effect on the military’s ability to fight. A questionnaire, answered by more than 115,000 soldiers, revealed that 71.9 percent of them thought that a repeal of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy would have mixed or no effect on unit readiness, 21.2 percent said it would have a negative effect, and 6.8 percent said it would have a positive effect. President Obama has since called on the Senate to repeal the policy following the House of Representatives’ vote to do so in May. Senator John McCain expressed concerns about a 28 percent response rate to the questionnaire, but members of the Santa Barbara-based Palm Center—a think tank of scholars who study the subject of sexual minorities in the military—said the rate is consistent with other military surveys.