The Male/Female Divide Over Repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

by Michael Jones · 2010-02-15 09:20:00 UTC
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U.S. ArmyWhen it comes to surveys on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," we know that most of the country supports repealing the nation's ban on openly gay troops. Depending on the poll, between 60-75 percent support ending "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

Even within the military, there seems to be a common consensus that the law will change, and that slowly but surely troops support a repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." But is there a gender difference at play? Do female soldiers support repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" more than male soldiers?

If a new survey is to be believed, the answer is resoundingly yes. By a mile.

According to the Air Force Times, female soldiers support repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" by a two-to-one margin over their male counterparts. Check it: 55 percent of female soldiers surveyed said that it's time to end "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," whereas only 27 percent of male soldiers responded that the law should go.

Beyond that, the numbers get really intriguing. What branch of the military is most excited about repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"? That would be the Navy, followed by the Air Force, the Army, and the Marines. (There's still some work to do with the U.S. Marine population -- a good 64 percent of those surveyed said they would oppose repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell.")

Still, at the end of the day, and regardless of gender or military branch, a huge chunk of the military knows that society is shifting in ways that will make a repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" a necessary thing.

“Taking a look at where our nation is going. I think it’s inevitable,” Marine Lt. Col. Alex Chatman told reporters William H. McMichael and Brendan McGarry. Chatman has served in the U.S. military for more than 20 years, and admitted that he's opposed to homosexuality on religious grounds. Still, he knows the road ahead.

“It’s not whether I like it or not — it’s just a fact,” he concluded.

There's a sort of brilliance in that statement -- civil rights have never been about appeasing the likes and dislikes of people. They've been about justice, and catching the rest of the country up with advances in equality.

Photo credit: The U.S. Army

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
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