"Don't ask, don't tell" not working.

• Position: U.S. Military

Nearly one in four U.S. troops say they know for sure that someone in their unit is gay or lesbian and, of those, 59% relate that they learned about the person's sexual orientation directly from the individual, a University of California, Santa Barbara, poll of troops who served in Iraq and Afghanistan shows. Some 55% of the troops who know a gay peer indicate that the presence of gays or lesbians in their unit is well known by others. According to the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, service members are not allowed to "confess" that they are gay.

"This new data proves that thousands of gay and lesbian service members are already deployed overseas and are integrated, important members of their units. It is long past time to strike down 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' and create a new policy that allows gays and lesbians to serve openly," declares Rep. Marty Meehan (D.-Mass.).

Twenty-one percent claim they know for sure that someone in their combat unit is gay or lesbian, slightly less than for those in combat support (25%) and combat service support (22%). Some 20% in other units assert they know for certain someone in their division is gay or lesbian. Overall, 45% indicate there are...