Salon.com > Dan Choi

The making of Dan Choi

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 13:01:00 +0000

NEW YORK -- When The Rachel Maddow Show came calling to discuss his public defiance of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," Lt. Dan Choi answered the call of duty for what would become an all-consuming public role as the face of change within the U.S. military.

On MSNBC's Maddow Show, the fresh-faced Choi made his debut on national television with three powerful words which he spoke while staring directly into the camera: "I am gay."

That sentence, stated publicly, broke Army regulations and immediately put the decorated Iraq war veteran's job on the line. They were just three words, but they sparked an international media firestorm, leading Choi -- living with his parents at the time -- to perform 18-hour days filled with interviews, appearances and lobbying. They also galvanized a movement that Tuesday ended with the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," which like so many army regulations has its own acronym, DADT.

"I didn't know if I could say no to anybody so I just did every interview," Choi said of his first months as an activist.

“Don’t ask, don’t tell” no longer enforced, Dan Choi reenlists

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 14:35:00 +0000

Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Virginia Phillips refused to stay her decision to end "don't ask, don't tell," the longtime ban on openly gay men and women serving in the armed forces. By the end of the day, military recruiters were accepting gay and lesbian candidates. And Lt. Dan Choi, the Iraq veteran, West Point grad and gay rights activist, went down to Times Square to reenlist. His request is being processed. (Choi first attempted to enlist in the Marines, he said on Twitter, but he was told he is too old.)

The year in gay

Sat, 26 Jun 2010 18:01:00 +0000

Every year in late June, LGBT Americans from across the country get together for two days of parties, rainbow flag-waving, and watching half-naked men dance to Ace of Base on a float. Yes, it's Gay Pride -- the best time of year to be non-heterosexual, and a great chance to look back at the past year in gay culture. We've put together a slide show of the most important LGBT moments of the last 12 months -- from Constance McMillen's prom fiasco to "Modern Family's" revolutionary gay dads.

Fighting “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”

Fri, 08 May 2009 14:51:00 +0000

On March 19, 1st Lt. Dan Choi, an infantry leader with the New York Army National Guard, appeared on "The Rachel Maddow Show" and stated, "I am gay." Choi is a West Point graduate, Iraq combat veteran, and Arabic language specialist. He is also a founding member of the independent organization Knights Out, a group of LGBT West Point alumni who, in openly declaring their sexuality, are actively fighting against the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy.

Thursday night, Choi returned to Maddow's studio (video below) to explain the repercussions he's experienced since then. To no one's surprise, Choi has been asked to withdraw from the Army National Guard. Maddow showed pieces of the letter sent to Choi, which stated, "You admitted publicly that you are a homosexual, which constitutes homosexual conduct ... Your actions negatively affected the good order and discipline of the New York Army National Guard."

Choi explained that he can resign and receive honorable discharge or fight the action, which is what he intends to do.