Lt. Choi is NYC Pride Grand Marshal

06.25.2010

Lt. Dan Choi had no idea how much his life would change after March 19, 2009, when he appeared on “The Rachel Maddow Show” in order to break the military code of “don’t ask, don’t tell” by admitting that he was a serviceman who is gay.

“When we went on ‘Rachel Maddow,’ we were only talking about West Point, and about [the common] knowledge that there are West Point graduates who are gay,” Choi explains about his controversial appearance. “I was just saying, ‘Hey, they can say whatever bad things they want about us. As long as they say ‘gay’ and ‘West Point’ in the same sentence, it was a culture shock that needed to be put out there for people.’”

Following that appearance, Choi was put on military trial in June of the same year. The military board recommended his discharge for the violation of “don’t ask, don’t tell” — but today, a year later, the case has not been finalized and Choi continues to serve. (Metro) > View article