Struggling for equal rights: Dan Choi visits Tacoma

Image licensed for commercial use

Ever since he came out on the Rachel Maddow Show, Lt. Daniel Choi has been fighting an uphill battle to remain a gay soldier in the military. Choi graduated in 2003 from West Point having studied Arabic, the Middle East, and environmental engineering. Since that time he has served in Iraq, taught Arabic, entered a Master's candidate program at Harvard (in religion and government), and spear-headed KnightsOut - an organization of West Point alumni, staff, and faculty dedicated to supporting LGBT rights.

Lt. Choi chose to fight what would have been an "honorable discharge" from the military because, simply put, he loves the military and want to stay in it. The battle against the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy was most visibly seen recently with the march on Washington in October. It goes almost without saying that Choi was involved with this campaign. But the other Washington was also able to get a close and personal look at this man and his ideas.

On November 10, just one day before Veterans' Day, Lt. Dan Choi gave a talk and Q&A session at the University of Puget Sound in North Tacoma. The turnout was impressive to say the least. Most lectures or talks on campus barely manage to fill the small little annex (affectionally called the Rotunda) on the side of the cafeteria. Instead, nearly the whole dining hall of the student activity center was packed.

The event was energetic, funny, informative, and passionate. Early on Choi talked about coming out to his parents. His father, a Southern Baptist Minister and conservative Korean, had implicitly raised the issue of saving face - an extremely important concept in Asian society in general, and Korean culture in particular. Choi remembers countering his dad with a poignant line: "How can you save face if you have no integrity?"

Lt. Dan Choi speaking in Marshall Hall at the University of Puget Sound

In depicting his life, Choi drew upon a vast background of knowledge and experiences: his Korean culture, the Christian faith he was raised with, his training at West Point, learning Arabic, studying and serving in the Middle East, and his leadership role as the spokesperson for KnightsOut.

Following his talk, there was a Q&A session with members of the audience. The event attracted a significant number of people not just from UPS but also from the local neighborhood, nearby high schools, community colleges, and the military bases. When asked if joining the military was worth it for a gay person, Choi responded with no uncertainty: "You don't join the military to be gay, to be more gay or less gay. You also don't join the military to be straight. You join it to serve your country." For Choi, who has learned so much from the military and gained so many great friends, the experience is absolutely worth it.

Dan Choi poses with Tacoma local Daniel Soeun

After the Q&A session Choi stepped down from the podium to mingle with the audience. Many people enthusiastically greeted him, asked him more questions, and posed for pictures (someone even asked for his autograph).

In a short period of time, Dan Choi gives one a lot to think about. He is adamantly opposed to the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy - having served under it for a decade. He supports the proposed bill, HR 1283, to amend the portion of the US Code concerning this issue.

It is easy to find much uncertainty and opposition to allowing homosexuals to serve openly in the military. However, it is just as easy to find solid reasons to why the US Code should be amended. First of all, a majority of countries in the world - including many of our NATO allies - allow gays to serve only. Moreover, there is significant psychological damage done to soldiers who are gay and forced to hide. Choi mentioned that "staying in the closet (in the military) is one of the most toxic things." Not only can gay soldiers not confide in one another, they are also bereft of the priviliged communication with chaplains and psychiatrists that straight soldiers have.

The costs of maintaining the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy are clear. What is not as clear to many Americans outside of the military is that soldiers are well aware that there are gay people in virtually every unit, squad, batallion, ship, and base stretching throughout all branches of the military. The policy does not preclude gay people from serving, it simply states that they cannot openly declare themselves as such. Gay people are all over the place in the military, and people generally know it. The review commission found Choi guilty of causing disorderly conduct among his fellow officers and peers by coming out on the Rachel Maddow Show. Choi knows for a fact that there was no disorganization or chaos among his peers. He also takes it as an insult to the discipline and integrity of these soldiers.

In order to overcome the discrimination against homosexuals in the military, two things must happen. One is passing legislation that makes it illegal to discharge a soldier for being gay. This requires people contacting their Congressional representatives and pushing them to support HR 1283. Constitutents must also lobby their senators to introduce a bill - as there is no concurrent resolution in the Senate - and then pass it. The second thing is more abstract. People need to raise awareness of the presence of gays in the military, as well as the fact that there are many soldiers who know about and are fine with it. This must be done through education and communication.

For those soldiers who feel like they are the only gay person in the military, just knowing there are others out there makes a huge difference. As Choi put it, "coming out is a responsibility, it's an obligation." As a community, as a state, and as a nation, we should give them our support.

Did you enjoy this article? If you would like to be kept updated on this and related topics please hit the Subscribe button above the article. This is a convenient and free feature that notifies you by email when new pieces are published. You can also subscribe through the RSS feed. Please feel welcome to leave comments or send me an email - I love to hear feedback from readers.