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Posted on Aug 18, 2009 Print this Article

MOAA Survey Stifled on Gays in the Military

Citizens who oppose the consequences of controversial health care reforms are speaking out and being heard.  Another group of Americans with personal interests in a major controversy─our military men and women who oppose legislation to repeal the 1993 law regarding homosexuals in the military─are not being heard.      

The Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), a large and influential veterans group, has even stifled such voices.  In October 2008, MOAA correctly anticipated possible legislation to repeal the 1993 law regarding homosexuals in the military, which is frequently mislabeled "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."  MOAA invited readers of their magazine Military Officer to participate in an online opinion survey on gays in the military.  The professionally-designed survey tabulated the ages and military background of respondents, as well as their answers to three questions about their opinions on professed gays in the military and attitudes toward homosexuality in general. 

Results of the survey did not make news until July 2009.  Washington Times Base News Editor Grace Vuoto reported that the MOAA survey revealed strong support for current policy (16%) or an even stronger law excluding homosexuals from the military (52%).  The same combined percentage, 68%, expressed the belief that repeal of the 1993 law would have a very negative effect (48%) or a moderately negative effect (20%) on troop morale and military readiness.   

Contrary to stereotypes about the views of younger men and women, the MOAA survey of 1,664 respondents included a significant number of younger, active-duty or drilling reserve/guard personnel who were largely tolerant of homosexuality in other situations.     

Ms. Vuoto included in the story a statement from a MOAA official expressing concerns about military readiness, but deferring to "senior military leadership" on pending legislation to repeal the 1993 law.  A few days later, MOAA officials issued a new statement describing the survey as “statistically invalid” because there were only 500 responses in the first eleven days, and "some non-members" may have passed the survey around to friends in order to “skew results.”   

All data was erased from the website that had been mentioned in the original Washington Times story, bringing to mind an Andy Rooney aphorism, “To ignore the facts does not change the facts.”  The survey was not invalid—but it was inconvenient.

During the months that the MOAA survey was posted online, it drew responses from 1,664 respondents—a significant sample that more than tripled the size of the initial 500 who responded in the arbitrarily limited first eleven days.  According to the posted demographic data, this larger group included many younger, currently active military people who may have been deployed, and therefore unable to respond right away.  (The MOAA magazine Military Officer, which announced the survey, was not sent via First Class mail.)   

CMR President Elaine Donnelly, a non-member who has always respected the right of MOAA to make its own decisions, has informed MOAA officials that CMR is not aware of any outside campaign to skew the results, on either side of the issue.  (If asked, the professional survey company that presented the results with multi-colored bar graphs probably could confirm this.)  

Some respondents, including deployed servicemen and women, may have shared the online survey with friends—an option not precluded by the survey.  If this happened, it could be a sign of strong feelings or “intensity” of opinions—information that the best and most accurate polling companies consider valuable in surveying opinions.  

Some MOAA members have expressed concern about the organization’s peculiar attempt to disregard two-thirds of the respondents to the organization’s own online survey.  The effort was about opinions, not statistics, and no one had misrepresented it as a scientifically conducted random poll.  Companies like Gallup and Roper cannot reach active-duty, drilling reserve and guard troops—especially if they are deployed. 

A closer look at the MOAA survey results over time reveals interesting trends.  A copy downloaded on October 21, 2008, reported the views of 624 respondents, who were primarily of the older generation.  Sixty-two percent were in the 46-75 age bracket, and only 30% were under 45 years of age.  Forty-six percent were military retirees; only 10% were identified as active-duty/drilling reserve or National Guard.   

Fast forward to July 2009.  By this time, the percentage of MOAA respondents under the age of 45 had increased to 64%, and the percentage of currently active-duty or reserve/guard military personnel increased five-fold, to 51%.   

The Washington Times accurately reported results that were not definitive, but still remain significant and useful.  By two-to-one margins, MOAA survey respondents strongly favored current policy or an even stronger law, and expressed serious concerns about the negative effects of repeal on troop morale and military readiness.  These results were even more interesting because a combined 35% of MOAA respondents thought that today’s servicemembers are “much more” or “moderately more” tolerant toward homosexuals in the military, while 45% percent said that attitudes were “no different” from those who served in the 1980s and earlier.   

Since the original MOAA bar graphs no longer are available, CMR has prepared three charts illustrating MOAA Survey information published by the Washington Times.  The graphs  include: 

Support for the Law

Effect on Troop Morale and Readiness

Attitudes Toward Homosexuality

 

Members of Congress considering legislation to repeal the 1993 law should be aware that there are few opportunities for active-duty, reserve/guard and/or current military officials to express their views on this issue. Even when they do try to be heard─as was the case with annual Military Times polls showing 58% of active-duty subscriber/respondents supporting current law, four years in a row─liberal media keep trying to stuff inconvenient opinions down the memory hole. 

Instead, news reports keep focusing on uninformed civilian polls, or the multi-million dollar Gays in the Military Campaign (GIMC) that is currently being coordinated by the Human Rights Campaign and other gay activist groups.  The traveling road show features the human interest stories of former servicemen who were honorably discharged due to admissions of homosexual conduct.  The object is to pass a new law mandating full acceptance of sexual minorities in all military communities, with "zero tolerance" of dissent.     

The GIMC should not be allowed to drown out the voices of currently serving men and women who understand civilian cultural changes, but strongly oppose the radical gay agenda for the military.  The Center for Military Readiness does not claim to speak for military people, but we will continue to do our best to amplify their voices whenever they are heard.

Posted on Aug 18, 2009 Print this Article