Poll: Florida Voters Overwhelmingly Support Allowing Lesbians and Gays to Serve in Military

by Admin

69% of likely voters favor open service, according to new independent poll.

Washington - Florida voters overwhelmingly support allowing lesbians and gays to serve openly in the United States military, according to an independent poll commissioned by the Human Rights Campaign. The poll of 700 likely Florida voters conducted by Hamilton Campaigns found that a majority of voters support repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law. Additionally, Fifty-one percent of voters oppose the current law with 36 percent opposing it strongly.

"This poll proves that people care about whether a service member can do the job, not about his or her sexual orientation," said HRC President Joe Solmonese. "The vast majority of people nationwide believe gays and lesbians should be allowed to serve in the military openly and Florida voters agree."

Other key findings:

The Human Rights Campaign has been active in Florida for months, showcasing the groundswell of support for repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." That work includes:

The poll release comes as DADT repeal is expected to be debated the week of May 24th when the House and Senate take up the Defense Authorization Bill.

The statewide survey of 700 registered voters who are likely to vote in the November 2010 general election in Florida was conducted by Hamilton Campaigns through telephone interviewing April 22 -25, 2010. The margin of error plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.

The Human Rights Campaign is America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.

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