Dan Choi | |
|---|---|
 Choi at anLGBT pride rally inBryant Park | |
| Born | (1981-02-22)February 22, 1981 (age 44) |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1999–2010[1] |
| Rank | First Lieutenant |
| Battles / wars | Operation Iraqi Freedom |
Dan Choi (born February 22, 1981)[2] is an American former infantry officer in theUnited States Army who served in combat in theIraq War during 2006–2007.[3] He became anLGBT rightsactivist following hiscoming out onThe Rachel Maddow Show in March 2009 and publicly challenged America'sDon't Ask, Don't Tell policy, which forbadelesbian,gay andbisexual (LGB) service members from servingopenly.[4][5]
On October 19, 2010, Choi applied to rejoin the US Army.[6][7]
Choi is a native ofTustin[8] inOrange County, California, the son of aKorean-AmericanBaptistminister.[9] He graduated fromTustin High School then attended theUnited States Military Academy at West Point.[10] Choi has also taken courses at theHarvard Extension School.[11]
Choi was very active with extracurriculars during his high school years. He served as student body president, was on the varsity swim team, and was the marching band drum major. During his senior year, after watchingSaving Private Ryan, he decided to attend West Point.[12]
Choi graduated fromWest Point in 2003 with degrees inArabic andenvironmental engineering.[13] Choi served as an infantry officer inIraq with the10th Mountain Division[13] in 2006 and 2007. In June 2008, he transferred from active duty Army to theNew York Army National Guard. Choi served as an Army guardsman with the 1st Battalion,69th Infantry, based in Manhattan.[13]
Choi received a discharge letter following his coming out onThe Rachel Maddow Show. In response, Choi penned anopen letter toU.S. PresidentBarack Obama and theUnited States Congress.[14] In the letter, Choi challenged the morality and wisdom of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, writing that the policy is "a slap in the face to me. It is a slap in the face to my soldiers, peers and leaders who have demonstrated that an infantry unit can be professional enough to accept diversity, to accept capable leaders, to accept skilled soldiers."
Despite his appeal and aCourage Campaign petition signed by almost 162,000 people,[15] on June 30, 2009, a panel of New York National Guard officers recommended that Choi be discharged from the military.[16] As of February 2010, Choi was serving again in his Army National Guard unit, the discharge having not yet been "finalized".[17] On June 29, 2010, Choi's discharge was finalized.[1]
Choi is among 59 gay Arabic linguists, along with nine gayFarsi linguists, who have faced a discharge from the U.S. military from 2004 through 2009, according to theServicemembers Legal Defense Network.[18]
Since Choi's coming out, 38 West Point alumni also came out and announced the formation ofKnights Out, an organization of West Point alumni who support the rights of LGBT soldiers to serve openly. Choi was one of the founding members and is the spokesperson for the group.[19] The organization offers "to help their alma mater educate future Army leaders on the need to accept and honor the sacrifices of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender troops."[19][20]
Choi has also spoken at numerous gay rights events, including a march in Los Angeles following theCalifornia Supreme Court's affirmation ofProposition 8. On May 27, 2009, he addressed a demonstration of gay activists outside theBeverly Hilton Hotel, where PresidentBarack Obama was speaking at aDemocratic National Committee fund raising event.[21] In addition, Choi spoke at the 2009Pride Rally inNew York City and served as a Grand Marshal alongside Knights Out in San Francisco's 2009Gay Pride Parade.[22]
On July 16, 2009, Choi was inCulver City, California, to introduce the premiere of Abe Forman-Greenwald's documentary calledSilent Partners.[23] The documentary is the fourth episode in theIn Their Boots series, with the episode focusing on the partners ofLGBT soldiers deployed to Iraq andAfghanistan. In the episode, Choi criticizes the U.S. military's neglect of the partners of service members.[23]
In February 2010 Choi was selected to be a Grand Marshal of the 41st Annual New YorkLGBT Pride March by its producers,Heritage of Pride.[24][25][26] At the event, Choi led the Pledge of Allegiance at the New York City Council Chambers.[27]
In March 2013, Outright Libertarians announced that Dan Choi was joining the GLBTQ caucus of theLibertarian Party as an honorary board member.[28]
In June 2013, Choi and numerous other celebrities appeared in a video showing support forChelsea Manning.[29][30]
On March 18, 2010, Choi and another ousted military officer, Capt. Jim Pietrangelo, handcuffed themselves to the fence of theWhite House. They were eventually removed with the use of amaster handcuff key and arrested.[31][32][33] Choi and Pietrangelo were initially set to be tried for "failure to obey a lawful order" on April 26, 2010.[34][35] Trial was postponed until July 14, at which time the charges against both men were dropped.[1]
On April 20, 2010, Choi and Pietrangelo again participated in a self-chaining protest on the White House fence with Petty Officer Larry Whitt, Petty Officer (Rtd.)Autumn Sandeen, Cadet Mara Boyd and Cpl. Evelyn Thomas. All six were removed with a master hand-cuff key and arrested.[36]
On May 27, 2010, Choi and Pietrangelo began ahunger strike until President Obama ends DADT and adds a non-discrimination policy to themilitary code.[37] They ended the hunger strike seven days later, with Choi saying, "The fast of the past seven days has been a success because people have been educated to the use of fasting as a tool to bring attention to a set of clear political and social demands."[38]
In November, 2010, Choi again handcuffed himself to the White House fence with 12 other protestors. He was subsequently arrested and charged in Federal court.[39] The case ofUnited States v. Choi took more than two years to conclude. On March 28, 2013, Choi was convicted of a misdemeanor charge of "Failure to Obey Lawful Order" and fined $100.[40][41]
On October 12, 2010, U.S. federal judgeVirginia Phillips ordered the Department of Defense to stop enforcing "don't ask, don't tell", the law that prohibited openly gay people from serving in the military.[42] On October 19, Judge Phillips further refused a federal government request to stay the order pending appeal.[43] That same day, Dan Choi went to the Times Square recruiting station in New York to rejoin the U.S. Army[43] (referred to in one source as "reaccesion");[44] his request is in process.[6] Choi reaffirmed his intention to rejoin the service on December 19.[45] Following the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" by Congress, Choi was present at theU.S. Interior Department to attend President Obama's signing of the bill on December 22, 2010.[46]
On May 28, 2011, Choi was among a number of both Russian and foreign activists (includingLouis-Georges Tin andAndy Thayer) who were arrested by Moscow police whenMoscow Pride was held in spite of a ban by city authorities.[47]
After more than two years of legal battles, LGBT activist Lt. Dan Choi was convicted of a misdemeanor by a federal judge and fined $100 on Thursday, March 28. Lt. Choi was tried for one count of "Failure to Obey Lawful Order" for a protesting Don't Ask Don't Tell (DADT) in front of the White House back in 2010. Since the judge ruled in the case, Lt. Choi has stated publicly that he won't pay the $100 fee on moral principle and free-speech grounds.
