Lt. Dan Choi, who overnight became the most visible military face of the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell fight last year, fielded some ridiculous comments from callers dialing NPR’s Tell Me More with Michel Martin. Some of the arguments you might have heard before. Others, perhaps not. Or at least not phrased as such!
The go-to guest for anyone discussing DADT, Choi was a hot name yesterday following the president addressing DADT in the State of the Union speech.
Alas, it appears the phone calls aren’t a part of NPR’s transcripts or embeddable clips, so we’ll sum it up for you with one example: A veteran called in to argue that it is a national security risk to let gays serve openly in the military, because they’ll be prancing around the barracks “wearing lipstick” and acting all faggy, and that’s not good for unit cohesion. To which Choi was like: Uh, that argument was made about keeping blacks segregated from white troops, and now we all see how stupid that was.
But Choi’s best answer was a direct response to Sen. John McCain’s out-of-touch assertion that DADT is working. (Emphasis ours.)
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Well, I think that when you ask soldiers – you could ask my soldiers and the people that I’ve worked with. I still go into work, and I still, you know, perform my duties, and they are all so supportive of what I’m doing.
I think there’s a huge disconnect with anybody from the outside who’s saying that don’t ask, don’t tell is working. My soldiers say working for what? We’re going to kick out an Arabic linguist? And we’re going to deploy overseas and we’re going to be weakened to the point that because somebody tells the truth, you’re going to assume that we’re all going crazy and that we’re all uncomfortable?
It’s so disconnected. I think there’s – and some people would say, Michel, that there’s this generation gap, that some people, because they’re older, they come from a different era, and therefore they say these things. I don’t think that’s completely true. This has nothing to do with how old you are. It really is how keyed in on the reality you are. Well, I think that when you ask soldiers – you could ask my soldiers and the people that I’ve worked with. I still go into work, and I still, you know, perform my duties, and they are all so supportive of what I’m doing.
I think there’s a huge disconnect with anybody from the outside who’s saying that don’t ask, don’t tell is working. My soldiers say working for what? We’re going to kick out an Arabic linguist? And we’re going to deploy overseas and we’re going to be weakened to the point that because somebody tells the truth, you’re going to assume that we’re all going crazy and that we’re all uncomfortable?
It’s so disconnected. I think there’s – and some people would say, Michel, that there’s this generation gap, that some people, because they’re older, they come from a different era, and therefore they say these things. I don’t think that’s completely true. This has nothing to do with how old you are. It really is how keyed in on the reality you are. And I would say it’s not a generation gap. It’s an education gap.
(Photo via)
reason
If Choi gets back into the service down the road his superiors are going to have it out for him, kudos to him for standing up for what he believes in while sacrificing his career.
GetALife
Please fix the copy-paste error in Choi’s quote.
Mike L
McCain is a idiot. He and others dont want to let gays/lesbians serve openly b/c they know that would lead to more acceptance of us and b/c ppl would realize that gays/lesbians are also putting their lives on the line for them. This would def lead to more understanding and acceptance among heteros. Also b/c they still want to make fun of gays and make disparaging things about us but when gays are serving in the military openly then the game changes b/c they would also be saying those same things about our gay/lesbian service members.
dan j
Homophobia is an old prejudice that older people got a heavy dose of, and many have not been able to overcome it. But it affects young people as well. I agree it is more about education than age. But the older the prejudice it, the harder it is to overcome.
Steve
Has anyone else noticed that the Democrats pander to the gays during the first 10 months of each even-numbered year?
And, the Republicans (including McCain) pander to the right-wing religious nuts, also during the first 10 months of each even-numbered year.
They both make promises before each election, when they want money.
Perhaps the real difference between the two parties is that the Republicans have been much better at trying to keep their promises, in recent years.
Fitz
Choi is a man who joined a club where he knew he wasn’t welcome, and then byatched about it. A solider who can’t take orders. And a fund-duh-mentalist.
Ricky
There is more to being a soldier than just taking orders. It is much more different than working at Wendy’s.
rainfish2000
Hmmmm…since when did the taxpayer supported (including the tens of millions of GLBT taxpayers supported) US Military become a “heterosexuals-only” private club like the Boy Scouts?
Answer: It never was.
The disreputable sham policy of DADT (Lie and Hide) will end soon. Discrimination has no place in a civilized nation. That reality might frighten the social Neanderthals among us, who are a dying breed in the USA, but change is coming. It is inevitable.
By the way, anyone who doesn’t recognize the selfless contributions of all patriotic Americans in uniform not only dishonors the hundreds of thousands of gay men and women who have fought in countless battles for this ungrateful nation, as well as the tens of thousands who have died for their country, but they dishonor the institution itself.
From all generations, gay men and woman service members lie along side their heterosexual brothers and sisters in Arlington Cemetery and across the country. In the grave, everybody is the same; everyone is indisputably equal.
If anyone denies that somber truth, then I ask you: Have you no sense of decency? Have you no shame?
christopher di spirito
I will never forgive Bill Clinton for signing ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ into law. DOMA, too.
As for the idiot straight people who oppose the repeal of DADT, I say fuck ’em. And that includes John McCain. McCain is a man of little virtue or character. He’s a dishonest scoundrel.
But the devil is in the details for the Pentagon’s announcement next Tuesday. I will be scrutinizing the plan to see if they further fan the flames of controversy by suggesting gay men and lesbians be housed in separate barracks and forced to use designated shower facilities. I don’t trust Robert Gates to do the right thing.
Latebrosus
“A veteran called in to argue that it is a national security risk to let gays serve openly in the military, because they’ll be prancing around the barracks ‘wearing lipstick’ and acting all faggy, and that’s not good for unit cohesion.”
How would this veteran explain what sailors do on crossing the equator, or the homoerotic hazing exposed among contractors in Afghanistan last fall? If anything, those activities ARE meant to enhance group cohesion, because they’re rituals (bizarre as they are) repeated again and again with each new batch of recruits.
dontblamemeivotedforhillary
I’m thinking of ending my affair with Bill over DADT and DOMA! BTW – Give Peace a Chance!
Alessandra
Fight pro-homo yellow journalism/research: the claim that “300 language experts have been fired under DADT, including more than 50 who are fluent in Arabic” relies upon a mendacious representation of data found in a 2005 GAO report that examines separations for homosexual conduct over the 10-year period 1994-2003. Even a cursory reading of that report reveals that few, if any, of the 300-plus individuals could conceivably be deemed “experts” – many didn’t even complete their language training. And of the over 50 (actually 54) ostensibly fluent in Arabic, only 20 achieved any sort of proficiency at all and none of these scored high enough to be considered fluent in the language.
The only way pro-homos can argue policy is by lying.
rayray
I hope Dan Choi goes down in our history and be remembered as one of the greatest man to stand up for glbt equal rights. He should be our Rosa Parks.
I salute him!