July 24, 2008

What About "The Will of the People" Now?

One of the most tiresome arguements against same-sex marriage and extension of other legal rights to GLBT people is that it goes against "the will of the people," as if rights for minorities should be determined by the will (or whim) of the majority.

So why aren't those same people speaking out in favor of ending the "don't ask, don't tell" policy in the U. S. military? That's just a rhetorical question, I know the answer--because it doesn't suit their biased, narrow-minded views. At least on this issue, it appears a majority of Americans have grown beyond that and embrace GLBT people's rights to serve and defend their nation.

From Pink News:

A new survey by the Washington Post and ABC News has found that three-quarters of Americans think that openly gay, lesbian and bisexual people should be allowed to serve in the military.

64% of Republicans and nearly two thirds of self-described conservatives backed a change in the current law, as did 57% of white evangelical Protestants and 82% of white Catholics.

It was Republican opposition that forced then-President Bill Clinton to abandon his pledge to allow gay people to serve and signed into law the compromise known as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

Since 1993 gay people who do not reveal their sexuality can serve, and commanding officers are not meant to ask service personnel about their sexual orientation.

More than 12,000 gay men and women have been discharged under the current law, at an estimated cost of more than $363 million (£182.6m).
The new poll of 1,119 Americans, taken earlier this month, shows how support for gays in the military has steadily increased, from 44% in 1993 to 62% in 2001 to 75% today.


Click here to read the rest of the article.

1 comment:

  1. Well of course, the will of the people only applies when it agrees with what narrow minded people want. You are so silly for not knowing this! :)

    ReplyDelete