Gays in the military: Can you guess how many have been ousted?

How many men and women have been discharged under the U.S. military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy?
(Jot down your estimate before reading more.)

Established in 1993, DADT means that gay or bisexual men or women can’t disclose or discuss their sexual orientation. Don’t ask means superiors can’t investigate without credible evidence of disallowed conduct.

Under Obama’s plan, DADT will be history. (Scroll down to ready yesterday’s post.)

Not everyone will be happy. Only 38% of white evangelical Protestants favor gays serving openly in the military, according to a Pew survey last year. This compares with 62% of white mainline Protestants, 62% of Catholics, and 77% of the religiously unaffiliated.

The majority of conservative Republicans are opposed to gays serving openly in the armed forces. Less than 1/3 of moderate/liberal Republicans or Democrats share this position.

What number did you jot down a moment ago? Here’s the figure: Over 13,000 men and women have been discharged from the military under DADT, according to statistics compiled here.

Do you care?