Saturday, July 11, 2009

DAY 54: DADT Update

Don't Ask/Don't Tell has got to be ended! There is no good reason for keeping this policy!

I want to update you on Lt. Dan Choi, just in case you don't read this every day, or if you are the one person in this country who doesn't even know who he is. He came out back in March on national television and since then has spoken publically at various lgbt events, including serving as Grand Marshall at the San Francisco Pride Celebration. Two days after that, in Syracuse, NY Choi when before a hearing to show why he should be kept in the military. They apparently were not listening though because very quickly afterward they recommended that Lt. Daniel Choi be discharged from the New York Army National Guard for publicly stating that he is gay - not for doing anything wrong mind you, simply for speaking the truth! Choi is a graduate of West Point, an Arabic linguist, and an Iraqi vet. He is a born leader - I witnessed that first-hand. Anyway, the recommendation must now wind its way through the military chain of command, which must decide whether or not to accept that recommendation. The Commander-In-Chief (that would be President Obama) could get involved and back up his earlier words with some real real action. Stay tuned!

Meanwhile, there is always an opportunity for you to get involved. I say this just about every day, but it is still true. Let people know how you feel. Write letters. Send emails. Make telephone calls. If you are able to, donate money. DADT is just one of many forms of discrimination against lgbt people. NO DISCRIMATION SHOULD BE ALLOWED! We should be free to love whom we choose, and that is really at the heart of what this is all about - LOVE. Love is a good thing folks. Let us embrace it and put an end to Don't Ask/Don't Tell!

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