GAY BRITS: NO PROBLEMS SERVING WITH US TROOPS

Gay british naval officers Lieut. Rolf Kurth (left)
and Lieut. Commander Craig A. Jones spoke in
Washington on the issue of gays serving openly
in the military. (Read More)

GAY BAN HARMS MILITARY'S REPUTATION, NEW POLL FINDS

Even Among Conservatives, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Undermines Public Support for Military

SANTA BARBARA, CA, September 15, 2005 - The Pentagon's practice of prohibiting homosexuals from serving openly in the armed forces makes more people embarrassed by the military than proud of it, according to a new University of California poll. According to the poll, 24.2 percent of respondents said that the policy makes them embarrassed by the military while 17.5 percent said that the policy makes them proud. Fifty-six percent said that the policy has no impact on their feelings about the military.

Conservatives were heavily over-represented in the pool of respondents because the sample was designed to match the characteristics of a cohort of new military recruits. Among respondents to the survey, 53.1 percent were Republicans, 29.8 percent were independent/other, and 17 percent were Democrats; 81.6 percent were male and 18.4 percent were female; and all were between the ages of 18 and 24. These characteristics closely match the profile of a cohort of new military recruits.

The survey was designed by the Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military, a research institute at the University of California, Santa Barbara, to test how the gay ban is perceived among individuals who the military seeks to recruit. According to Aaron Belkin, Director of the Center, "The fact that even conservatives are embarrassed by the gay ban suggests that the policy is harmful to the military's reputation."

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