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Gay news: Most Americans approve of 'gays' serving in the military, providing they're not 'homosexuals'
Confusion in the States?
US: Gays in the military supported by people who don't like gays
A new opinion poll has revealed that some of the people who agree with gays and lesbians serving openly in the US military disagree with "homosexual relationships".
American news channel CNN asked respondents whether they agreed with "permitting people who are openly gay or lesbian to serve in the military", to which 69% said yes and 27% said no.
The result was in line with the recent CBS/New York Times and ABC/Washington Post polls which found 59% support/29% opposition and 83% support/15% opposition respectively.
But when people in the CNN poll were asked whether they "personally think that homosexual relationships between consenting adults is morally wrong, or not a moral issue", 48% agreed with the former and 50% with the latter.
The Atlantic magazine noted that while this can only mean that some people think both that homosexuality is wrong and that gays should be able to serve openly, there may be a partial explanation in the terms used in the poll: "gays" may be more acceptable in military service than "homosexuals".
But it concluded that despite the personal opposition to "homosexual relationships", it was difficult not to read into the results a willingness, on the part of some, to put that aside in support of the repeal of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell law currently being debated by the Pentagon.
