Breakout stars, gay activism and DADT repeal

Over at the Bilerico-D.C. I have a new post on Lt. Daniel Choi, the Army veteran and member of the New York National Guard who came out publicly earlier this year and in the months since has grown to be one of the most prominent faces and voices in the fight to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Short version: some people have been around for a long time, others have been around only briefly, yet both are needed if we want to continue moving forward as a movement.

Be sure to check out my interview with Dan at Metro Weekly -- and be sure to call your senators and representatives and tell them to repeal DADT now -- for your representatives, tell them specifically that you hope they support the Military Readiness Enhancement Act (H.R. 1283). For more information on the ban and how it ruins careers and damages our national security, visit Servicemembers Legal Defense Network and Servicemembers United.

Comments

[Leon Koh]

nice to surf into your blog

a hello all the way from Singapore

Leon :)

[Alan Scott]

Sean,

I enjoyed reading your interview with Daniel Choi in the Metro Weekly, but I'm interested in the dichotomy the issue presented as the hearings on same-sex marriages start today. Just a few pages prior to the Choi piece, there was a full-page color ad and an article for the High Heel Race. A quote read "It's the High Heel March for Equality." I'm still a newbie to the area, but this reminds me of the Cedar Springs Halloween Street party in Dallas. The same people who pack the streets watching gay men and women strut around in elaborate costumes are the same ones that will shout, scream and rail against any movement toward approving same-sex marriages. O'Bryan wrote in the High Heel Race article, "it's the difference between a political rally and a block party." The oppponents to same-sex marriages don't see it that way. To them, there is no difference between a fun event like the High Heel Race and a march on the White House demanding same-sex marriages. It's all gay to them. When they are being entertained, it's fine and dandy, until the laughter stops. Then it's back to hate-mongering.

I know there is dissatisfaction among the gay population with President Obama at the seemingly lack of progress in repealing DADT, but this is a big pill for the population-at-large to swallow. Change will come but it's going to take baby steps. We can't afford to be impatient, either.

Thanks for the awesome article!