A new poll shows for the first time that a majority of Americans support allowing gays to serve openly in the military. The Harris Interactive survey reveals that 55 percent of those polled say openly gay people should be allowed to serve in the military, and 57 percent agreed with former joint chiefs of staff chairman John Shalikashvili’s assertion last month that openly gay people will “not undermine the efficacy of the armed forces,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Only 19 percent of those polled said that gays could serve if they kept their sexual orientation secret, and 18 percent said they shouldn’t be allowed to serve at all. In 2000, 48 percent said that gays should be allowed to serve openly.
On the specific question of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” the military’s official ban on openly gay servicemembers, 46 percent of respondents said they opposed the policy, the same as in 2000.
