A new poll from ABC News and the Washington Post shows that a staggering 77% of Americans believe that Congress should let gay and lesbian Americans serve openly in the military. The poll, conducted from December 9 to 12, reflects previous surveys that show overwhelming support for repealing the military’s Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy. Even self-described Republicans (74%), conservatives (67%), and white evangelical Christians (70%) believe that gay and lesbian soldiers who publicly disclose their sexual orientation should be allowed to serve.
Just as the vast majority of Americans think that the military should not discriminate against gay and lesbian soldiers, a Pentagon study showed that the majority of military service members do not oppose repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.
Today the House of Representatives is set to vote today on a stand-alone bill to repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell introduced by Congressmen Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and Patrick Murphy (D-PA), an Iraq war veteran. If the bill wins approval in the House, the measure will be taken up in the Senate with the support of a bipartisan group of Senators.
With the military leadership and service members and the American people all in agreement that it is time to drop Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, the only thing that stands in the way of the discriminatory policy’s repeal are Senate Republicans who want to obstruct legislative action no matter the cost.