Veteran to break code of silence

Silence has long been the foundation of the military’s policy on soldiers’ sexual orientation under the controversial “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Don’t Pursue, Don’t Harass” policy. Today, as part of GLBT Awareness Week, Lt. Dan Choi will attempt to break the silence in his presentation, “Truth and Consequences: One Man’s Quest to Openly Serve His Country.”
Choi will be introduced by 26-year Air Force veteran Col. Terrel Preston, who served under “Don’t ask, don’t tell” for 11 years and is an active proponent of banning the policy.

Lowell Kane, program coordinator of the campus GLBT Resource Center, said each year they try to find a widely known keynote speaker to focus on a serious issue or hot topic.

“I can’t think of any hotter topic than the DADT [“Don’t ask, don’t tell”] policy,” Kane said. “We want to seek out the face, the person who really represents this conversation and there is no bigger, more famous activist today than Lt. Dan Choi.”

Choi graduated from West Point Military Academy as one of eight soldiers in his graduating class majoring in Arabic. He then served as an Arab linguist in the Iraq War.

On March 19, 2009 Choi announced he was gay on The Rachel Maddow Show, and discharge proceedings began within the month.

In his presentation, Choi will tell his personal story, discuss the effect of the policy on GLBT individuals in the military and answer questions from the audience.

“He has gone on the record saying he is willing to lose everything, the career he has built for himself, because he is not going to lie about who he is and everything he learned at West Point and through the military tells him he shouldn’t lie about who he is,” Kane said. “Given Texas A&M’s military history and our current status with the Corps, it’s a really interesting conversation to have here.”

Krista May, GLBT Aggies adviser and Queer Studies Working Group co-facilitator, said she hopes the people who attend will gain a fresh perspective on the issue.

“I would like them to come away with being able to put a real face and a real story to the issue,” May said. “I hope a lot of people come away thinking that the issue isn’t all that abstract, it actually has to do with people who are serving and who want to serve.”

The presentation will highlight is the discrepancy of policy vs. enforcement. While Choi’s discharge proceedings started after his announcement of his sexual orientation, he has yet to be discharged.
“There is that real big inconsistency there, so his frustration is pretty high because he is serving and there is talk about the policy being overturned yet nothing has happened,” May said.

Choi has been an outspoken activist advocating overturning the ban. He has given more than 60 speeches so far about the issue and has continued to get involved in the protest scene.

According to CBS News, during the March 18, 2009 protest at the White House Choi and discharged Army infantryman Jim Piertrangelo were arrested for chaining themselves to the fence.

“The fact that he is right now the most visible figure and has been on so many media programs and all different networks, is a chance to come out and see someone who is currently making headlines in a big way,” May said.

GLBT Aggies president Riley Bryan, a senior recreation, park and tourism sciences major, said the event is a great awareness tool for students to learn about the Don’t ask, don’t tell policy and where it stands in the appeal process.

“I think it’s important for students to be aware of what’s going on in our government system, and since this university has a strong military background I think it’s really exciting to talk about Don’t ask, don’t tell on this campus,” Bryan said.