The University of Puget Sound this evening will host a free public talk by a gay Army lieutenant who has become the latest case study in the debate over the military’s controversial “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.
In March, Lt. Daniel Choi, a West Point graduate and Iraq veteran fluent in Arabic, announced he was gay on The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC. Less than one month later, the Army said it would initiate discharge proceedings against him for violating the military’s policy on gays and lesbians in uniforms, which allows them to serve as long as they keep their sexuality under wraps.
Choi has vowed to fight his discharge and has taken his cause to change Army policy to media including the Colbert Report, Anderson Cooper 360 and ABC News.
His UPS talk, titled “Truth and Consequences: One Man’s Fight to Openly Serve His Country,” starts at 7 p.m. in Rasmussen Rotunda in Wheelock Student Center. For directions, click here.
The event is sponsored by Diversity Theme Year and ASUPS Lectures.
Disgraceful.
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What an amazing, inspirational 90+-minute talk. He was great at taking our questions and was very honest not only about his freedom in being allowed to love himself and his partner – but how much he loves the military. He was very helpful in explaining the way “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” can be repealed and why it really isn’t a matter of wanting to “change” anything in the military. It’s about repealing a Federal law that has the right to fire you just because of who you are.
Highly informative, very respectful towards everyone, and quite a compassionate and funny man.
I am honored to have heard his message of experience, strength, and hope, I am honored he is out there protecting my family, friends, my son, my rights, and my community.
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I think gay service members should be allowed to serve openly. However, it is not the job of the service member, while representing the military, to lobby for or against any cause. Though Lt. Choi is not in uniform, it is very clear that he is affiliated with the military based on his public assertions.
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The regulations are what they are. They’re in plain English. And just like any other company rule or regulation—you violate that rule, you will get fired. Period.
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Oh man save me a seat in the front row!
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This fool is a civilian now, STOP CALLING HIM AN OFFICER!
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As a military service member in Iraq currently, I take exception with people who enter the military knowing the rules regarding don’t ask don’t tell and then after the military has paid them, trained them and given them money for schooling turn around and say the military is unfair.
If Mr. Choi hadn’t outed himself on national television he would still have a long and successful career like many others who serve and keep their personal lives private.
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This “hero” should be sent a pro-rated bill for the time he didn’t pay back for his very expensive West Point education. He probably knew as an 18 year old plebe/freshman that he had homosexual tendencies and he certainly knew the military’s policies on the matter. Why should he be viewed as anything but disengenous about his sexuality?
“Don’t ask, don’t tell” isn’t perfect, but it actually works fine. That is the broad consensus of military leaders. If you start letting homosexuals serve openly , middle America will be less inclined to encourage its sons and daughters to serve. And make no mistake — it is the middle and working classes that fill the ranks of the military. My guess is that Daniel Choi was a spoiled kid when he showed up to the academy. Just look at the photo above; he looks like the type who is inclined to throw temper tantrums when he doesn’t get his way.
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Obama’s media cronies won’t touch this topic as long as he is CIC. This issue will stay off the national radar until Obama is gone.
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