Poll: Nearly 8 In 10 Americans Favor Allowing Gays Into Military

Lt. Dan Choi at a protest against Don't Ask, Don't Tell
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The new CNN poll finds that Americans overwhelmingly support allowing gays to openly serve in the military. Furthermore, this is not some new, suddenly progressive development — it’s been the status quo for quite a while.

The poll asked: “Do you think people who are openly gay or homosexual should or should not be allowed to serve in the U.S. military?” The result was 78% in favor to only 20% opposed. The poll of adult Americans has a ±3% margin of error. This is roughly unchanged from an 81%-17% margin in December 2008, and 79%-18% in May 2007.

“Support is widespread, even among Republicans. Nearly six in ten Republicans favor allowing openly gay individuals to serve in the military,” writes CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. “There is a gender gap, with 85 percent of women and 71 percent of men favoring the change, but support remains high among both groups.”

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