FACT CHECK: U.S. Troops Don’t Have A ‘Strong Aversion’ To Homosexual Conduct

In an interview earlier this week, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Peter Pace called homosexuality “immoral” and said he supports the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy because the military “should not condone immoral acts.” Days later, Pace said, “I should have focused more on my support of the policy and less on my personal moral views.”

Today, Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) condoned Pace’s comments in an op-ed for the USA Today:

Against the backdrop, liberals in the USA are making another attempt to force open homosexuals into America’s military population. In a media question-and-answer session, Marine Gen. Peter Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated his personal view that homosexuality was immoral.

Gen. Pace’s principles reflect the strong aversion of our Marines and soldiers to homosexual conduct. These moral principles also reflect the position of the predominantly conservative families who send their young men and women to serve in the U.S. military.

But the views among servicemembers differ from Hunter’s — and Pace’s — personal feelings. Last December, a Zogby Interactive poll of servicemembers who had served in Iraq or Afghanistan found 73 percent of those polled were “comfortable with lesbians and gays.” A 2004 poll found that a majority of junior enlisted servicemembers believed gays and lesbians should be allowed to serve openly in the military, up from 16 percent in 1992.

UPDATE: In an op-ed for the Washington Post entitled, “Bigotry That Hurts Our Military,” former Sen. Alan Simpson (R-WY) calls for the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” He voted for the policy in 1993. “This policy has become a serious detriment to the readiness of America’s forces,” Simpson writes, “as they attempt to accomplish what is arguably the most challenging mission in our long and cherished history.”