Support for gays in the military depends on wording of question
Interesting new poll from CBS News. When asked whether or not they support homosexuals in the military, 59 percent of Americans say they support it and 29 percent oppose it. Change the wording and use “gay men and lesbians” instead of “homosexuals” and support shoots up to 70 percent in favor and 19 percent against it.
It’s good to know that, however you word it, there is still a plurality of Americans who support gays and lesbians in the military. But how do you account for that double digit difference when using different terms to refer to the same thing? I guess it’s because the word “homosexual” has sort of a funky/odd tone to it. Gay-unfriendly people tend to favor said term. And I don’t hear many gays refer to themselves as homosexuals. Has “homosexual” become kind of a pejorative term? And, if so, why?
