Dr. Nathaniel Frank is a senior research fellow at the Palm Center at the University of California, and is one of the most recognized spokespeople for LGBTQ rights. Since the publication of his book, Unfriendly Fire: How the Gay Ban Undermines the Military and Weakens America, Dr. Frank, who is also an historian who teaches at NYU, has been crossing the country speaking on TV, radio, at bookstores, colleges, and public forums as the nation’s leading expert on “don’t ask, don’t tell.” He is known from his appearances on “The Daily Show,” “Rachel Maddow,” “Anderson Cooper,” “Democracy Now with Amy Goodman” and others, as well as his writings in the New York Times, Washington Post, Huffington Post, New Republic, Slate and other venues. He has spoken at West Point Military Academy, University of Pennsylvania, National Press Club, Center for American Progress, University of Nebraska, McCormick Freedom Museum, Boston College, and the Smithsonian (upcoming).

Dr. Frank is known as a charismatic young speaker who informs, inspires and entertains, a hybrid scholar-activist who takes daring departures from expected talking points, and anchors his thoughts in both principles and pragmatics. His subjects are not limited to the military issue, but cover Queer theory, marriage equality, and the moral weakness of homophobia (the subject of his next book), among others.