Don't Ask Again...

Lt. Dan Choi discusses Supreme Court's refusal to hear DADT case (video)


Lt. Dan Choi on Anderson Cooper 360
Lt. Dan Choi, the outspoken soldier who was recently discharged under "Don't Ask Don't Tell", appeared tonight on Anderson Cooper's show on CNN to discuss the US Supreme Court's refusal to hear a case challenging the constitutionality of the law.

Choi expressed his disappointment with the Court's decision, but said LGBT soldiers will not continue to "hide and slink away". He reiterated the need for DADT to be repealed because he says it defies the military's mission to fight for the right thing.

When asked by Cooper how he felt about President Obama's inaction on DADT, Choi said he felt "extremely disappointed" Choi said soldiers are taught to follow a leader not because of their rank or position, but "because of their courage, because they want to stand up to their responsibilities." Choi said President Obama and all our leaders need to show courage, especially since the country is at war.


Lt. Dan Choi
"The number one priority is protecting our troops," Choi said. "Don't Ask Don't Tell doesn't hurt the gay soldiers as much as it hurts the straight soldiers - every unit that is ripped apart because of a soldier being fired for being honest is punished. We need to wake up and realize that the destinies of gay and straight Americans are tied at the hip."

Cooper pointed to a Gallup poll released today showing that 69% of all Americans and 58% of Republicans support openly gay soldiers serving in the military. Cooper said, "It seems like the public is moving faster on this issue than the politicians."

Choi responded, "this has nothing to do with polls or being popular. It has to do with doing the right thing. Discrimination and cutting out people who are capable during a time of war shortchanges our soldiers. When we look at the 13,000 soldiers who have been kicked out because of DADT, we don't look at them as the victims. The victims are those 13,000 units that have been rendered less capable, and we're not supporting them."

When Cooper pointed out the purpose of DADT was to protect unit cohesion, Choi said, "I think unit cohesion is based on trust and honesty. What [DADT] does is penalize soldiers for doing what they are trained to do - living honesly, having courage, standing up, and not hiding from your responsbilities."

Choi concluded that he was still gay and still a soldier, and all the arguments saying DADT promotes unit cohesion and morality are completely false. "When a soldier is honest, when they are able to have the confidence within their unit to talk about who they really are, the unit gets stronger. The same thing applies to an organization, a church, or a family. When we have a foundation of honesty, it makes the unit stronger."

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