Some breaking news coming in about another DADT demonstration involving the White House fence. Lt. Dan Choi, blogger and Petty Officer Autumn Sandeen, Capt. Jim Pietrangelo II, Petty Officer Larry Whitt, Cadet Mara Boyd, and Cpl. Evelyn Thomas, all in uniform, have handcuffed themselves to the White House. Police have dispersed crowd.
Crowd chanting “we deserve full equality.”
Robin McGeHee on the bullhorn.
Press Sec. Robert Gates walks through crowd, amidst shouts.
POTUS is D.C.-bound.
Tweets GOProud’s Jimmy LaSalvia of Choi: “Isn’t his 15 minutes up? WTF How does this help?”
All six arrested.
[photo via]
Cam
Countdown to the outraged HRC employees to come in here, attack Lt. Choi and tell us that if we all just shut up, sit back and donate millions of dollars to them, that in 200 years we’ll all have the right to apply to have civil partnerships, but not to expect marriage style tax benefits, because that will take another 100 years.
Good for Choi and the others, keep this on Washingtons mind. Tough to smile and shake hands over lobbyists drinks when heros keep getting arrested for just wanting to be treated as equals.
Jason
Oh, no. More childish stunts. Handcuffs and yelling – our hot, new strategy.
LGBTeaBaggers.
Dave
We will not be treated equally until we piss off enough people. It’s that simple. Yell, yell, yell. Yell at everyone. When they realize we are pissed, they’ll give us what we want.
If you don’t believe that, watch the behaviors of a 3-year old. They get what they want.
New Politico
Choi wants to get on TV again. Good for him. Choi is our MLK.
Cam
No. 2 · Jason
Oh, no. More childish stunts. Handcuffs and yelling – our hot, new strategy.
LGBTeaBaggers.
__________________
Jason,
As opposed to your childish stunts of coming on to the posts about Mormons and calling the gay community a thought police controlled cult, and basically backing up everything the Mormons had to say? Isn’t it funny that you are attacking Choi for “childish yelling, and yet when you post on here on any subject dealing with bisexuality the first thing you do is name call and do the blog equivilent of name calling, comparing the gay community to Nazi’s etc… So apparently these antics are only ok if you are doing them?
adman
Jason = Mormon troll, and deluded RNC cult member in general. I guess we should take heart that he has learned to stop referring to us as homosexuals.
Lanjier
Yea Choi! Let Commander Obama see and hear the heroes he dumps on the street every month. The president has disgraced his office for standing by passively and permitting his soldiers to be treated like that after putting their lives on the line in service to our country.
Dave
When I grow up I wanna be an Activist.
Oh wait, I don’t need to grow up.
GetEqual – the new “toddler” strategy.
Historian
Dan Choi is our MLK. MLK knew he had to embarrass Lyndon Johnson.
We finally have our Leader. Dan Choi should replace HRC and lead us all to the promised land.
Not HRC
I do not support HRC – or – the childish stunts of GetEqual. They are both ineffective.
The LGBT Community has no idea how to achieve our full equality. We just keep throwing shit and hoping some of it sticks. I thought we were smarter, more creative than that.
Maybe Dan Choi is our MLK, but he’ll have to do more than publicity stunts. People know we’re here and they know we’re unhappy. Choi needs to explain how these stunts create progress. I don’t have a problem with him becoming a celebrity and hosting Pride events – that’s Capitalism. He should make himself as important and famous as possible, but he also needs to share his strategy. He needs to tell us how his actions will deliver our full equality.
DR
The Democrats need to be embarrassed. It’s easy to stand there and say “I support repeal” without actually doing anything. Well, besides study the issue to death enough to hopefully keep the Dem majority after mid-term elections.
Enough stalling, already. Like the ad says “Just Do It”.
Josh AZ
And this helps us HOW?
xvisntenuff
I’m reminded of the movie Iron Jawed Angels. It took Hilary Swank (Dan Choi) protesting at the gates of the White House and Anjelica Huston (Gay, Inc.) sitting down with the President to get anything done. Let’s stop hating on each other’s tactics and just get something done for pete’s sake. Don’t stop donating to HRC and don’t stop giving your full support to the people who are willing to go to jail to gain equality. Let’s not forget – we are all in this together.
D'oh, The Magnificent
@Cam: Yeap.
DR
And LaSalvia’s Tweet is the reason I’ll never be able to take GOProud seriously. What else do they expect us to do?!?
Josh AZ
Never succumb to the temptation of bitterness.
– Martin Luther King, Jr.
Josh AZ
@xvisntenuff: What works? WTF works? Why don’t we try to figure out how to win, not how to get attention? Attention doesn’t equal victory.
I agree with most of the comments I’ve seen this morning – people are laughing at us. That can’t help.
Dave
@Josh AZ:
Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think.
– Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Artist
Isn’t he at the WRONG building? It would seem like his voice would be heard louder on the Hill. PEACELUBNBWILD!
Cam
No. 10 · Not HRC
I do not support HRC – or – the childish stunts of GetEqual. They are both ineffective.
The LGBT Community has no idea how to achieve our full equality. We just keep throwing shit and hoping some of it sticks. I thought we were smarter, more creative than that.
Maybe Dan Choi is our MLK, but he’ll have to do more than publicity stunts. People know we’re here and they know we’re unhappy. Choi needs to explain how these stunts create progress. I don’t have a problem with him becoming a celebrity and hosting Pride events – that’s Capitalism. He should make himself as important and famous as possible, but he also needs to share his strategy. He needs to tell us how his actions will deliver our full equality.
_________________________________
He only needs to tell us if he’s answerable to us…i.e. if he is out asking us for Donations. HRC has used 50 million of our dollars and has basically nothing to show for it. THEY need to tell us how their actions will give us equality. Dan Choi was an arab linguist kicked out of the military for being gay who is out protesting that military policy. He is one of the few people who’s reasons seem absolutly clear.
Lanjier
Gays have been too nice, like the saying goes, are finishing last. Time to to get tough. Gays have to get over this people-pleasing psychological profile that holds us back; always showing up at events with the biggest, most tasteful bunch of flowers, throwing the best parties, being frightened they might offend.
You know, the ugly girl only gets invited to the party because she promised to bring a case of champagne. Gays have always been there for the Democratic Party, and now it is payback time. Gays have to steel their balls and get ready to swing a bat to get things done.
Devon
Choi: Finally, someone with the testicular fortitude to do something besides crawling at the Democrats’ collective feet saying “please sir, I’d like some more rights;” then celebrating any time the president throws us even the smallest of table scraps while failing to pass any meaningful legislation.
GOProud: “WTF How does this help?” Hey, if you Uncle Tom sellout douchebags have any better ideas, by all means do share. In the meantime, you fail.
Jon
Lt. Choi = Why I’m signing up for the army.
Baxter
@Jason: Does the HRC and its lobbying attempts have a place? Of course. But the black civil rights movement worked because people like MLK, Rosa Parks, and Malcolm X were willing to protest, potentially getting beaten up or imprisoned, rather than just throwing money at the problem. Politicians need to see that we’re unhappy and they don’t see that when you’re sitting at home mailing a check to HRC.
Philip
This will work. Our movement hasn’t had enough anger or rudeness. We need to get in everyone’s face and DEMAND our rights.
Study history, we won’t be given anything until we demand it. HRC doesn’t make any demands.
We need people to rise up all over America and scream:
“I’m mad as Hell and I’m not going to take it anymore.”
I say turn up the volume until we make people very uncomfortable in our presence.
I also agree that Dan Choi is our MLK. He is in the right place at the right time. We should join the chorus of demands. We need to irritate enough people to get our rights. It’s an effective wave of the middle finger strategy. It worked for Blacks and women. Now, it’s our turn.
Philip
@Baxter: Robin McGeehee is our Rosa Parks. Don’t you see it?
Bubba
Why are these people chaining themselves to the fence? is that their fetish?
WahWahBoy
If our movement put in half-an-ounce of the energy and money many of our brothers spend on porn, drugs, liquor, fabulous fashions, and circuit parties, we should would have accomplished a lot more by now. Alas, we are greedy, selfish and not too mature yet. Like spoiled children.
Dave
I think Dan Choi gets all the big Pride Parades now. Miami was one thing, but now he is going to be the biggest gay celebrity ever.
JonathanHasHasIt
I’m starting to get sick of Dan LaChoy.
Cam
No. 28 · WahWahBoy
If our movement put in half-an-ounce of the energy and money many of our brothers spend on porn, drugs, liquor, fabulous fashions, and circuit parties, we should would have accomplished a lot more by now. Alas, we are greedy, selfish and not too mature yet. Like spoiled children.
_______________________-
Yeah, there is the typical HRC style response. “It isn’t the fault of the people passing laws making you second class citizens. It’s the fact that you buy porn and aren’t lobbying us your reps 24/7.
Can you make it more obvious that you are a troll pretending to be gay? I mean “Circut Parties?”?! you’re going to have to update your info. Even a quick study up will tell you that they have been on the decline since the late 90’s and most of the major events were cancelled years ago. But still….nice try.
Storm
Two chained themselves to the White House fence last month. This month it’s six. Next month, I hope its eighteen. Or more. I hope this just grows until the damned fence collapses. That would be a symbol worth seeing. And if such symbols didn’t have power, the capitol police wouldn’t have moved so fast and hard to drive the press and public away from the demonstration.
Michael @ LeonardMatlovich.com
Bravi to Dan, Jim, and the others.
The flickering rage in Obama’s eyes last night and the over reaction of the White House Winkies today prove they’re getting under ObamaRahm’s skin.
And anyone who doesn’t think that’s necessary for change knows neither anything about the history of civil rights movements nor this Administration.
The NAACP had been lobbying Washington for nearly half a century when gay black civil rights icon Bayard Rustin and a handful of others both black and white got arrested for civil disobedience against continuing segregation [in defiance of a Supreme Court ruling] on interstate buses. He and others were brutally beaten.
A few years later, Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat in Alabama, and triggered a national movement of civil disobedience [to the outrage of the leaders of the NACCP], led by MLK whom Rustin taught the finer points of Gandhian civil disobedience. And all were criticized, even by other blacks for “stirring up trouble.” After all, what’s the big deal about a seat on a bus? Standing or sitting, front or back, you still get where you’re going. Blah blah blah.
Just like the ObamaRahmbots are squealing again today.
[img]http://wildapples.typepad.com/harvest/images/bayard_rustin.jpg[/img]
Lucas
@Storm: That would be very, very awesome. I’d happily fly to the white house to chain myself to its fence along with dozens of others. Getequal should consider something to that effect.
tofer david
fascism
jason
I am the Jason with the unorthodox views, not the one above. The one above is another Jason. There is more than one Jason, you know.
As for Choi, I support him. He’s walking the talk, not just talking and leaving it to everybody else. It would be wonderful if more gay men were like him.
Sadly, most gay men are more interested in Friday and Saturday night at the local bar. It’s a community brought down by its own indulgences.
Jim
How dare these racist terrorists scream and yell at Obama and then chain their white trash asses to the White House. Obviously, they are against a black man being President and………….oh sorry, thought these were Tea Party protestors.
Michael
Remember the days when McGehee looked down here nose at those who got arrested and protested??? She should come out and apologize to them all now.
WahWahBoy
@Cam: @Cam: Sure Cam, it’s easier to attack me and what I am saying, rather than take a hard look at my words and the message. Face up to reality, Mr. Expert on Circuit Parties. Guess you’ve never been to Miami. No, they’re not on the decline, so get off your frivolous high-horse and contribute something to our community.
RealAmerican
Stop bitching and crying over DADT. More of you flamers haven’t served and don’t have the guts to. The military is not a democracy. This shit is so not an issue. It isn’t like gender or race. It’s sexual identity. And stop with the other countries have allowed this bullshit.