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Video: A Heartbreaking Memorial for a Gay Soldier Killed in Afghanistan

Gay soldier Andrew Wilfahrt's death reminds us why "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was incredibly stupid.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=220hCk1Omw0

Corporal Andrew Wilfahrt was a young man from Minnesota who joined the Army in 2009. Though he'd been openly gay his whole adult life, the then 29-year-old closeted himself in order to enlist, but he eventually came out to some of his fellow soldiers. Their response? According to Wilfahrt's mother, "nobody cared." "Even the really conservative, religious types," Wilfahrt told her, "they didn't care either."

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Guess How the Public Feels About Repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

Yesterday's Pentagon report that service members support repealing "don't ask, don't tell." Nate Silver looks into the public opinion polls.


In light of yesterday's Pentagon report that said most service members support repealing "don't ask, don't tell," Nate Silver looked into the public opinion polls to see how America at large feels.

The red line above represents the percentage of people who think gays and lesbians should be able to serve openly. The blue line represents the percentage of people (from the same group) who think gays and lesbians who don't disclose their orientation should be able to serve. The difference between the red and the blue line represents the people who disagree with the blue statement but agree with the red one.

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Pentagon Study: Gays in the Military? Fabulous!

A new Pentagon report confirms what we all expected: The good people in our military are largely cool with repealing "don't ask, don't tell."


A highly anticipated Pentagon report, made available to the media today but not released publicly yet, confirms what we all expected: The good people in our military are largely cool with repealing the "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

The study found that 70 percent of troops believed that repealing the law would have mixed, positive or no effect, while 30 percent predicted negative consequences. Opposition was strongest among combat troops, with 40 percent saying it was a bad idea. That number climbs to 46 percent among Marines.

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