On Friday, June 5th, SoCal Voice spotted Lt. Dan Choi at the Fight for Your Life rally in front of the Hollywood Forever cemetery to protest Governor Arnold Schwarnegger’s proposed funding cuts to HIV/AIDS services. We chatted with Lt. Choi briefly to get his reaction to Jason Bellini’s report on the Daily Beast that HRC made deals with Congressional members to table DADT until next year as it is “not a priority for the White House.”
SoCal Voice: What’s your reaction to Jason Bellini’s report that HRC has been blocking the repeal of DADT?
Lt. Dan Choi: Really? I didn’t know that? Let’s go over there where I can concentrate because it’s loud here.
SoCal Voice: Yes. It was reported that Senator Chuck Schumer of New York ‘let slip’ to several gay rights leaders inside the beltway that Joe Solmonese of HRC made a deal with congressional members to put off repealing DADT until next year because HRC wants to focus on getting the Hates Crimes Act and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act passed this year and putting DADT off until next year. You were featured in that report. What’s troubling is that openly gay Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin came out against repealing DADT as well because she didn’t think that we’ve done the work in educating Congressional members about the issues. But, ironically, Senator Joe Sestak of Pennsylvannia, who’s one of the co-sponsors of a bill in the Senate, which I believe you’re aware of, indicated that “at the end of the day, if the bill comes to the floor it will get passed.” So, what’s your reaction to that?
Lt. Dan Choi: You know what’s the biggest shame in this country?
SoCal Voice: No. What?
Lt. Dan Choi: The biggest shame in this country is when our leaders do not support our soldiers, and, it’s not just the gay leaders. The president and Congress doesn’t only have a job to do but a responsibility to support the troops. And, it’s not even just the responsibility of the President or the Congress but also the responsibility of every single American citizen to support the troops. And you know what’s even worst?
Socal Voice: Tell me!
Lt. Dan Choi: It’s in the job description of Congress to protect soldiers. It’s in the US Constitution to support the troops. This is not a gay issue or a straight issue. It’s an American issue. The biggest travesty with DADT is that it doesn’t only hurt gay soldiers. We’re not the ones that are hurt the most.
SoCal Voice: Can you expound on that?
Lt. Dan Choi: It’s every soldiers that are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Specifically, it’s the straight soldiers that are hurt the most here. Because, when a gay soldier is discharged our straight counterparts are the ones that end up with the short end of the stick. When that happens they lose a family, they lose a team member. All American leaders should be ashamed, and I’m not just talking about President Obama, but all Congressional leaders who are unwilling to stand up and repeal DADT, NOW. We’re in the middle of fighting two wars. Not tomorrow, not next year, but NOW. We need to get behind ALL American soldiers!
SoCal Voice: Lt. Choi, thanks for your time!
