Direct from the soldiers on the ground... According to an October Zogby poll of 545 troops who served in Iraq and Afghanistan:
Nearly three in four troops (73%) say they are personally comfortable in the presence of gays and lesbians.
Of the 20% who said they are uncomfortable around gays and lesbians, only 5% are "very" uncomfortable, while 15% are "somewhat" uncomfortable.
Only two percent of troops said knowing that gays are not allowed to serve openly was an important reason in their decision to join the military.
Of those who know a gay or lesbian peer, 27% said it has a negative impact on the morale of their unit.
Nearly three out of four troops said in the Zogby poll that they usually or almost always take showers privately - only 8% say they usually or almost always take showers in group stalls.
In combat units, 21% said they know for certain that someone in their unit is gay or lesbian.
In combat support units (25%) and combat service support units (22%) know and work alongside gays and lesbians.
One in five troops (20%) in other units said they know for certain someone is gay or lesbian in their unit.
Nearly half (45%) say there are people in their unit they believe to be gay or lesbian, but they don't know for sure.
Slightly more than half (52%) say they have received training on the prevention of anti-gay harassment in the past three years;
However, 40% say they have not received this type of training, which is mandated by Defense Department policy.
The full report from Zogby is here (pdf).
Hat tip to Pam's House Blend.Labels: DADT, military, poll
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on Tuesday, December 19, 2006 at 12:06 PM.
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