Pentagon at odds with gay rights groups over troop survey

WASHINGTON – The Pentagon is at odds with gay rights groups after sending out a survey asking troops what they would do if gays were allowed to serve openly.

Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell told reporters Friday it was "nonsense" to suggest that the 103-question survey was biased.

But gay rights groups say the survey assumes troops don't want to serve with openly gay service members and uses repeatedly the term "homosexual," which they say is derogatory. The survey also doesn't ask troops if they think the current ban is harmful.

The survey was prepared by the researching firm Westat under a $4.5 million contract. Among the questions in the survey is how a service member would respond if assigned to a room with a gay person.