The Advocate poll.

How readers responded to the Advocate.com poll question featured in the April 11 issue of The Advocate

Q: Should past work as a gay escort make a person ineligible to run for political office?

* No. However, that person, if elected, may not be as effective as his peers because of his history."

"I fail to see why a former escort should be deemed unfit to hold public office when it is acceptable for a former drug addict to not only run for president but win two terms in office."

* "Gay or straight, any public official having been a prostitute is going to be hard-pressed to find support."

* "If working as a gay escort is the worst thing a political candidate has done in his life, I'd say he's a whole lot cleaner than most politicians currently in office."

* "Having been a prostitute should be relevant work experience for any aspiring politician."

"At this juncture, there is little that should make a person ineligible to run."

yes      14%
no       80%
unsure    6%

Note: Table made from pie chart.