Lt. Dan Choi is one of many LGBT Americans proudly serving in the US military. By coming out publicly Choi has ended his career. This is wrong. This young man is just the kind of person we need in our military- an Arabic linguist, West Point grad and Iraqi combat vet. Yet by uttering three words, "I am gay", he has been dismissed from the National Guard.
After watching him, maybe he has a new career. How about a run for Congress Lt. Dan?
2 comments:
Its interesting how letting gays serve openly in the military is on the back burner to the President. To him it's an issue that he'll deal with at some point. In the meantime, thousands of gays are serving their country in silence, while those who are found to be gay, or who have said something get kicked out.
I can't tell you how many of us, when I was in the military, worked in what were considered to be critical jobs, (linguists, analysts, etc.) who kept our mouths shut. I knew quite a few linguists who served quietly. I knew an analyst who was blackmailed by another sailor into turning herself in for being gay and I watched her get discharged because of it.
One of the biggest reasons why I got out was because, although I am still pretty closeted at my job, I got tired of looking behind my back whenever I hit the clubs, went out on dates, or got together with friends.
It's very sad to think that the defenders of our nation have to serve in silence. We allow foreign nationals into our military but not gay Americans... as a vet, I've seen firsthand the effects of DADT and we've lost some of our best, as well as fostered an environment where persecution, harassment and blackmailing thrive.
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