GOP: Don’t Fire LGBTs . . . Unless . . .
There has been much ado in recent days about a new poll of Republican voters and their views on LGBT issues. Granted, there is some very good news among the numbers, including the revelation that 77% of Republicans do not believe an employer should be able to fire an employee simply because they happen to be lesbian or gay . . .
. . . unless that employer happens to be our nation's largest, and the employee happens to be a member of the United States military.
Among Republican voters, this newest poll suggests, only 49% - not even half - support repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." An astonishing 42% say the ban should remain the law of the land.
Granted, it's a good thing to have 49% of the GOP on our side, but we should have even more Republican support for repeal. Lifting the ban enhances military readiness, allows our armed forces to recruit among the best and brightest and gets the government out of the bedroom . . . a long-time core principle of conservative values.
Some other polls have indicated that Republican support for repeal is even greater than suggested in this newest survey. According to a May 2005 poll from The Boston Globe, “Large majorities of Republicans, regular churchgoers, and even people with negative attitudes toward gays think gays and lesbians should be allowed to serve openly in the military.” So let's hope this newest data is undercount of the true support that's out there.
- Steve RallsLabels: in the news, polls
-----06-29-07
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