Gay Activism Steps It Up

Not to Long ago in a previous post I mused that the future of the struggle for gay rights will have to move beyond the tactic of politely asking the powers that be for our due civil rights and on to more assertive forms of civil protest. Now, with Dan Choi's arrest, the topic is all over the net.

Well...I hate to give big fat "I told you so's"....o.k....no I don't....I told you so!....

Yesterday Lt. Dan Choi and Capt. Jim Pietrangelo, in protest over DADT, chained themselves to the WhiteHouse fence. On the surface Dan Choi and Pietrangelo's actions in chaining himself to the Whitehouse fence seem an ill timed gesture. The Army had just let him back on active duty and suspended his discharge. Are the lawmakers that pushed to get him reinstated feeling a bit upset by his actions? In addition, Congressional hearing are taking place discussing the need for a DADT repeal and public opinion, by and large, is with a repeal. Making lawmakers upset at this stage in the game may erode what little support there is in congress. Not that he should cease advocating for what he believes in but chaining yourself to the Whitehouse fence is bound to make you more enemies than friends...not the least because it can be interpereted as showboating in an effort for Lt. Choi to get his name back in the news.

But dialing our view back from the specific event of Dan Choi's arrest alot more took place on that day.

Squeeky wheels...Dan Choi Back On Active Duty

The old adage goes: "The squeeky wheel gets the grease". So it seems to be with Lt. Dan Choi, who has recently been recalled to active military service. This is an interesting development in the DADT repeal debate to say the least....but I find myself conflicted about it. After all, why now? Why only choi?

You may ask...Wasn't Lt. Choi already discharged? I had thought so. Apparently, he was served with the discharge papers but was given the option to fight it in court. The details of which have been all over the news in the past year. However, during this time, Lt. Choi has been  very vocal, and very visable in his advocacy for a DADT repeal. You could him speaking at any big gay event he had time to squeeze onto his schedule. This falls Equality march had Lt. Choi giving a rousing speach in uniform as well as placing a wreath at the Tomb Of The Unknown Soldier in the name of all gay servicemen and women. He has been at an unimaginable number of pride events and more than a few fundraising dinners....all of this in addition to television interviews. You can't think of DADT now without thinking of Lt. Choi., such has been the magnitude of his visibility on the issue.