Worthy of a closer look - 79% of Democrats support "Gays" to serve openly, but only 43% support

[Divine Discontent]

homo-sex-shuls (as "reverends" Pat Robertson, John Hagee, and Rod Parsley would say) to serve openly.


That's right. The NYT's poll asked one half of the 1084 polled last week, if they were for Gays serving openly, and the other half were asked if homosexuals should be allowed to serve openly - and DEMOCRATS more than Republicans, were effected by the choice of wording. My God, what if they asked if Gay/Bi/Lesbian/Trans/Queer should be allowed! Would it have been 15% of Democrats? Seriously - a nearly 40 point DROP of support from Democrats for same-sex attraction military personnel just because of the choice of a word.


Implication - you tell me?


I would like to note, that on DU over the past 6 years I've noticed that some of the people who tell us Gays to go sit in the back and shut up about rights, or we'll ruin the Democrats chances of getting power, have been ones to use homosexual - which I quickly tell them not to talk to me as the bigots in the churches I used to attend referred to us Gays. Everyone deserves the right to be who they are without judgment from their fellow citizen.

Here's the excerpt from the NYT story ---

Democrats in the poll seemed particularly swayed by the wording. Seventy-nine percent of Democrats said they support permitting gay men and lesbians to serve openly. Fewer Democrats however, just 43 percent, said they were in favor of allowing homosexuals to serve openly. Republicans and independents varied less between the two terms.

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/new-poll-shows-support-for-repeal-of-dont-ask-dont-tell/?hp

[TwilightGardener]

1. Well, there's a lot of ignorant Democrats. That's pretty much all it says to me.

[Divine Discontent]

6. sad... I thought the same thing. I liked to think rethugs were the 1's who could easily be led by

wording, not the party of 'progressives'.

Seriously, I'd hate to see what the percentages would be if they used even more specific Gay-themed wording.

[TwilightGardener]

8. I can't believe, in this day and age, there are adults who do not

recognize "gay" and "homosexual" as synonymous. It's shocking, really.

[JackDragna]

2. Listen, we can't have any of them homo-types in the military!

I mean, what a joke we'll be! All them gay people. We need manly men, with bulging muscles, dripping with sweat, who just hold me tight and never let me go and..uh..I think I need a cigarette.

[Divine Discontent]

9. LOL! get yourself worked up there? hehehe

and yes, I think they think (as Kevin Kline's great Gay-themed movie, "In and Out" used for dialogue) that if Big Homo Marry Sissies were allowed in the military, it wouldn't be so tough sounding. And we cannot have the macho bullshitters feeling less cocky with their big guns and their sweaty bulging muscles with all the other men in the barracks...

sigh... bigots.

[JackDragna]

17. And that's the funny thing..

..all these big, macho gung-ho military types have already had their freedom defended by homosexuals who served in every conflict in which the U.S. has been a part.

[Divine Discontent]

18. EXACTLY!!!! and, there's more than a few of them that like their sweet soft non-threatening men but

would never admit to it. I lived with a guy in the Air Force as his roommate, and his boyfriend was a big strong vet who never would let on out in public they were together, and then, the Air Force guy would tell me not to say anything 'Gay' in public since he was in the military - I was like, ummm, I'm not in the military and I'm not refraining from being myself just to protect you. Don't go out with me if you're afraid. I told him most people who are Gay in the military serve pretty much without fear from what I've seen. I think it is probably not the best in training camps and such to be so open, but in regular service, there's not much to worry about - especially now.

[farmout rightarm]

15. If you haven't seen this, hold off on that cig

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/33540

:D

[polichick]

3. That is so weird - don't know what to think of it. nt

[farmout rightarm]

4. Some more discussion about this at

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=7694446&mesg_id=7694446

[hlthe2b]

5. Everyone agrees we need more "HAPPY" people in the military

but them thar homosexuals, "no way..." :sarcasm:

[Divine Discontent]

7. so 1800's I know.

[Ozymanithrax]

10. We Jews have various types of Schules...

Zionist Schules, Conservative Schules, Reformed Schules, Ultra-Orthadox schules. But I have never heard of a Homo Sex Schule.

That is a new one.

[LiberalFighter]

11. That's because gays are Democrats and homosexuals are Republicans

[Divine Discontent]

14. aint that the truth. The GOPer I know who's Gay says homosexual.

and may it be noted he's anti-Gay rights! He's against Gay Marriage equality... so typical.

[Posteritatis]

12. Conservatives in Canada are starting to pick their terminology along those lines

If someone uses the word "homosexual" they're usually using it as a pejorative around here.

[slipslidingaway]

13. knr #3 - well it was #3 n/t

[rhett o rick]

16. George Carlin could tell us. Gay is a nice word, short sweet and easy to say.

Hom-o-sexual, on the other hand has multiple syllables, sounds harsh and nasty (has the word sexual as part of the word).

[defendandprotect]

19. Can you lend any validity to this? Had you ever heard this before?

What does it mean?

[Divine Discontent]

21. hello D&P, I tend to think of myself most interested & slightly skilled in this subject, and all I

can tell you is that the 1st response to this story really sums it up succinctly and to the point. Simple ignorance and, if I am feeling the waters correctly, a negative connotation to the word "homosexual" due to the constant declarations of church leaders the world over using the word as a bad thing, like we're a threat to society. So, if you one word often that means the same, essentially, as the other, but with one you constantly demonize it, well, you're going to cause a hatred to surface and bubble to the top that shows that learned behavior can be achieved not only primarily in children, but in adults who should know better. :(

[defendandprotect]

22. So, basically, you're ...

confirming that people don't understand that homosexual and "gay" are the same thing!

That's what I was reading, but really hard to believe!!

Interesting that the people who thought up this pool understood that????

It still feels a little "O'Keefe/Fox" to me, tho --

Everyone once in a while over the last 20 years or more, I've stopped in at a church to hear

what is said from the pulpit -- sadly I still heard that Jews and homosexuals were an

"abomination" --

Haven't been in to check in a very long time --

but one of the last times, I was at a mass in a basement -- and upon hearing one of those

phrases I began to boo to see if others would join me.

Someday I hope they will boo - - and turn their backs to the pulpit -- and even better

walk out and stay out!!

TV Evangelicals are another horror -- and the money that comes in to support all of them

is shocking!! "God always needs money" -- Geo. Carlin



PS: Was just commenting in another post that I've heard that every couple has a 30%

chance of having a homosexual child. That would certainly give us numbers much larger

than what we've been told the homosexual community really is/???

But -- combine that with Kinsey's estimate on bi-sexuality -- with homosexuality and

hetero being the two EXTREMES -- and that would lead to amazing divergence from the

heteto Hollywood couple!!

[Divine Discontent]

23. thank you for your input and what you've done, I commend you.

I went with a friend to his Lutheran (if I recall right) church a few years back, as I am a Christian, I just don't like being told everywhere I go that I'm against God (they were preaching against lewd hollywood and mentioned "Will & Grace" which made me laugh out!), when I'm told by tons of people that I'm a Godsend for the things I've done, so it always cracks me up that if they 1st know I'm Gay, it is a negative, so I enjoy never saying a word until they have praised God for me doing things which are something Christ would be happy I did, and then I spring on them that I'm Gay and trying to find a nice Christian to be with... always gives me a chuckle. I love that you used to drop in and listen, that's great. I wish more people would speak up and/or walk out from churches that preach hatred about other faiths, and intolerance of women in power, and Gays having equal rights. So sad that most who do this don't realize it until you ask them specifically why they're that way... they mumble on their reasons because they know, they really don't know why. Jewel had on her first album cover something about how much of what we think is human nature is in actuality human habit - something we've been taught so-to-speak.

And thanks for the info about the 30% of parents, wow.... yes, we know the numbers are higher than people let on. I'd say that, easily, 5-8% of people are Gay, and significantly more are bisexual. We love who we love, it is in our genes. Some love the opposite sex, some find certain people from each gender attractive, and some find the same sex attractive. It's a shame our American society is so hung up on letting people be themselves.

cheers

[ecstatic]

20. "Political groups have co-opted the word "homosexual" and made its use a political statement"

Sort of how repugs tried to turn "liberal" into a dirty word.

Interesting article:

http://weblogs.fox40.com/news/local/report-to-you/2009/07/homosexual_is_a_bad_word.html

[Divine Discontent]

24. true. they did it to liberal, and have been doing it to 'homosexual' for about as long.

they're so evil those republicans.... (I'll just say evil Republicans over and over when I mention them.....)

[Incitatus]

25. And what where the precentages for Repubicans?

[Divine Discontent]

26. thanks for the kick!