America once again declares: Gays should be able to serve openly in the military. In a poll of Some 2,617 registered voters, polled during the past week by Quinnipiac University, 57 percent of respondents said they supported open service and repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, with 36 percent opposed. (Support is up just 1 percent, from April 2009’s 56 percent.) More interesting, however, is that 66 percent say DADT qualifies as discrimination; 31 percent did not. Which means more Americans can identify discrimination than want to do something about it.
More revealing stats available here.
EARLIER: More Active Duty Soldiers Support a DADT Repeal Than Ever Before
AndrewW
This National Poll doesn’t reflect the difference of opinion in individual States. We have 51 anti-LGBT US Senators because of their personal beliefs and the beliefs of their constituents. That’s what matters to them, not national opinions.
US Senators are more worried about being re-elected than actually leading.
J. Clarence
I agree with Andrew, the way our federal system is set up national polls and national opinions do not mean much in terms of guessing how a vote is going to pass.
That being said what I find shocking is that only 66% find it discriminatory. Even people who oppose the repealing it admit that it is discriminatory, they just think it’s the necessary evil kind of discrimination.
AndrewW
That 33% that does not believe DADT is discriminatory is the 1/3 of Americans that are firmly anti-gay and they are not changeable. They get their belief from religion, as literal-interpretation Christians. This is the same group that we obsess over and unwisely promote instead of focusing on the 2/3 of Americans that would join us in support of equality.
With all the attention we spend on conservative Christians and people like Sarah Palin, you’d think they had the power – but, we do. Until we understand that we will continue to look weak, act weak and be defined by the 1/3 that we should simply ignore. If it’s too difficult to ignore them – I suggest simply laughing at them. THEY are the minority, not us.