I had just started high school in 1993 when President Bill Clinton backed off his pledge to allow LGBT Americans to openly serve in the military. Little did I know that decision would profoundly impact the life of one of my classmates.
Dan Choi graduated from Tustin High School shortly after I did. He got a prestigious appointment to the US Military Academy at West Point, while another of our classmates got an appointment to the US Naval Academy at Annapolis that same year.
Our mutual friend is still serving in the armed forces. Dan Choi, after a distinguished career in the Army that included a tour in Iraq, is not. The only difference between them is that our friend in the Navy is straight - and Dan is gay.
I hadn't kept in touch with Dan after high school, until one evening in March when I was watching Rachel Maddow's MSNBC show and saw him on the show speaking out against the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. Dan spoke three words that he knew violated Army policy - "I am gay." Sure enough, as a result of that interview, Dan was served with a letter discharging him from the Army. You may have seen Dan's recent appearance on Maddow's show last Thursday:
Even though our lives have followed different career and personal paths, it seems fitting that here we are, fighting together for justice and equality. Dan has founded Knights Out, an organization of LGBT soldiers and their allies, to promote the cause of repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." And I now work as Public Policy Director for the Courage Campaign, which fights to advance progressive solutions across a number of issues in California, including equal rights for LGBT people.
I stand with Dan Choi not just because we were classmates, but because we are both human beings who deserve fully equal rights. If I could serve in the military (if I chose to) as an openly straight man, Dan should be able to continue serving in the military as an openly gay man. There is no reason whatsoever to draw a distinction between the two - particularly at a time when the armed forces can use all the Arabic-trained, combat veterans who command the respect and loyalty of their fellow soldiers.
President Obama has promised to end the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, but appears to be waiting for the right political moment. The right political moment is NOW. Soldiers like Lt. Dan Choi, 2nd Lt. Sandy Tsao, and any other LGBT soldier cannot wait for the president to find the right moment. That's why the Courage Campaign and CREDO Mobile have launched a petition to President Obama asking him to reinstate Lt. Dan Choi and repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
President Obama should suspend all discharges under the DADT policy, and immediately ask Congress to send him a bill repealing the policy from our laws. Lt. Dan Choi, Lt. Tsao, the 11,000 soldiers who have been discharged under the policy, and the unknown, uncounted numbers of LGBT soldiers still in the military who still suffer from this policy. They know that the military demands honesty, yet they must lie to their fellow soldiers about who they are. They love their country and love their service, but are at constant risk of being kicked out merely for their sexual orientation.
Perhaps the best way to illustrate this is to see it in Dan Choi's own words:
I have learned many lessons in the ten years since I first raised my right hand at the United States Military Academy at West Point and committed to fighting for my country. The lessons of courage, integrity, honesty and selfless service are some of the most important.
At West Point, I recited the Cadet Prayer every Sunday. It taught us to "choose the harder right over the easier wrong" and to "never be content with a half truth when the whole can be won." The Cadet Honor Code demanded truthfulness and honesty. It imposed a zero-tolerance policy against deception, or hiding behind comfort.
Following the Honor Code never bowed to comfortable timing or popularity. Honor and integrity are 24-hour values. That is why I refuse to lie about my identity.
I have personally served for a decade under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell: an immoral law and policy that forces American soldiers to deceive and lie about their sexual orientation. Worse, it forces others to tolerate deception and lying. These values are completely opposed to anything I learned at West Point. Deception and lies poison a unit and cripple a fighting force.
As an infantry officer, an Iraq combat veteran and a West Point graduate with a degree in Arabic, I refuse to lie to my commanders. I refuse to lie to my peers. I refuse to lie to my subordinates. I demand honesty and courage from my soldiers. They should demand the same from me....
The Department of the Army sent a letter discharging me on April 23rd. I will not lie to you; the letter is a slap in the face. It is a slap in the face to me. It is a slap in the face to my soldiers, peers and leaders who have demonstrated that an infantry unit can be professional enough to accept diversity, to accept capable leaders, to accept skilled soldiers.
My subordinates know I’m gay. They don’t care. They are professional.
Further, they are respectable infantrymen who work as a team. Many told me that they respect me even more because I trusted them enough to let them know the truth. Trust is the foundation of unit cohesion....
As an infantry officer, I am not accustomed to begging. But I beg you today: Do not fire me. Do not fire me because my soldiers are more than a unit or a fighting force – we are a family and we support each other. We should not learn that honesty and courage leads to punishment and insult. Their professionalism should not be rewarded with losing their leader. I understand if you must fire me, but please do not discredit and insult my soldiers for their professionalism.
When I was commissioned I was told that I serve at the pleasure of the President. I hope I have not displeased anyone by my honesty. I love my job. I want to deploy and continue to serve with the unit I respect and admire. I want to continue to serve our country because of everything it stands for.
Please do not wait to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Please do not fire me.
Don't fire Dan Choi. Sign the petition and insist that President Obama uphold his promise - not next month, not next year, but NOW.