Openly Gay Officer Discharged Under ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Tries to Reenlist in U.S. Army

Lt. Dan Choi, who was discharged from the U.S. Army under “don't ask, don't tell,” went to New York’s Times Square recruiting station on Tuesday and successfully filled out paperwork to reenlist in the U.S. Army thanks to a District Court ruling that said the U.S. military must no longer enforce the policy since it was unconstitutional.

Earlier in the day, Choi tweeted, “I’m gonna try to enlist in the Marines today.” His announcement brought scores of media outlets to the scene, documenting his attempt to enlist as an openly gay man. Although he wasn’t allowed to fill out paperwork for the Marines (Choi later tweeted, “Apparently I’m too old for the Marines!”), he did fill out paperwork to enlist in the U.S. Army.

Campus Progress caught up with Choi via phone this morning and chatted briefly about his reenlistment yesterday, his views on service and the on-going “Don't ask, don't tell” appeals process (which continues today, with the Department of Justice’s request for an emergency stay in the case).

Campus Progress: Tell us a bit about why you went to the recruiting station yesterday, and why you feel it was important to reenlist?

I want to go back into the military now that the judge rightly said that “don't ask, don't tell” is unconstitutional. Following the Obama administration’s attempt to revive “don't ask, don't tell” by a request for a stay that was essentially overruled, we have a restored faith in at least one branch of our government. Being able to go back in this period where “don't ask, don't tell” has been dead for a week and the Pentagon says we will for the first time in history recruit openly gay people, it was great. I want to serve as an enlisted soldier, which is a little strange because I was an officer.

I’ve made it very clear that service is not about rank, status, pension, or paycheck or being superior to someone else or compensating for something going on in your life. It’s about being a part of a team, being a part of something that’s bigger than yourself, a mission that’s greater than you and sacrificing in the most obvious way. To be a part of that honored form of citizenship and responsibility, I think gay people should not shy away from that. They should be doing two things right now: Coming out with integrity and honor and signing up for the military unabashed and unashamed.

What is your message to President Obama as this appeal process on “don't ask, don't tell” continues?

President Obama needs to get off his ass and start doing something about repealing “don't ask, don't tell” rather than just making rhetoric. I know he has promised and he contends that his particular way he wants to do it – we all understand the way he wants to do it but its clear: It’s already done. The courts have already done the heavy lifting for him. His political machinations of how he wants it done are really irrelevant. “Don't ask, don't tell” is dead and that’s the job of the courts, of the judicial branch to protect the rights of minorities, particularly for stigmatized minorities and that’s been true throughout the human rights and human progress movement whether you’re talking about Korematsu v. U.S.or Brown v. Board of Education or all the cases that worked their way up the system. Stigmatized minorities will never get the support of the full Congress. What you’re asking stigmatized minorities to do is play nicey-nicey and popular with those who hate us. That obviously places a burden on those stigmatized minorities.

It is a repudiation, a failure of the Civil Rights Movement for our first racial minority president to by stymieing, stalling and playing his particular wants on his personal politics on what he thinks is the best way when the reality is “Don't ask, don't tell” has been dead for seven days and he is trying to give it mouth-to-mouth.

Matt Comer is a staff writer for Campus Progress.

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