A large majority of US voters believe that homosexual men and women should be allowed to serve openly in the US military, according to a poll out on Wednesday.

The independent Quinnipiac University poll found that 57 percent of voters believe gays should serve openly, an idea opposed by 36 percent of those surveyed.

Voters also believe by a 66 to 31 percent margin that it is discriminatory to prevent openly gay men and women to serve.

However, by a 54 to 38 percent margin, those surveyed also believe that gays serving in the military should limit exhibiting their sexual orientation on the job.

The margin in US military households -- homes with an active or reserve member, or a veteran in their family -- was divided almost evenly, with 48 to 47 percent supporting the end of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy of gays in the military.

President Barack Obama's bid to lift the ban on gays serving in the military received a boost on February 2 when Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said allowing gays to serve openly was "the right thing to do."

Obama, who had postponed action on the issue in his first year in office, recently renewed his vow to change the 1993 law that requires service members to keep quiet about their sexual orientation or face expulsion from the military.

The Quinnipiac University pollsters surveyed 2,617 registered voters nationwide between February 2 and 8. The poll has a plus or minus 1.9 point margin of error.

- AFP