Tag Archives: Dan Choi

Video – Dan Choi Rips Up Autograph After Being Told The Person Doesn’t Support Gay Marriage

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At this afternoon’s Netroots Nation 11 panel entitled “‘What To Do When The President Is Just Not That Into You.’

An Obama for President volunteer named Nick Tischda (strangely) approached Dan Choi and the panel during the Q&A was going to get Dan Choi’s autograph on one of the flyers that he had.  And he almost got it, until he mentioned that he was against gay marriage at which point Choi ripped the flyer in pieces and threw it down at Tischda.

I was at the panel in the front row and I’ll say with all honesty it was a nice piece of drama but somethings not sitting right with me about this. It is bizarre to say the least

Watch the video and see what you think.


Many thanks to ThinkProgress.org for uploading the video

Lt. Dan Choi: "DO NOT CELEBRATE COMPROMISES"

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Right on Dan!
Interestingly I have read on may people saying that there is a “split witin the gay community” over the “compromise”  . But EVERY blog and comment board I’ve read is overwhelmingly of the belief that this compromise is not a full repeal and that it does nothing to end the discriminatory policy. The split is between the LGBT community, and those organizations within the beltway that have completely lost touch with their constituencies.
Dan Choi will be on the Joy Behar Show tonight to discuss the DADT “compromise”.

Pietrangelo And Choi Plead NOT GUILTY – HRC On Lockdown In Fear Of Gay Activist Reprisal! (Video)

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Cpt. Jim Pietrangelo and Lt. Dan Choi pleaded NOT GUILTY today to charges brought against them for handcuffing themselves to The White House Fence yesterday in an act of civil disobedience because of the constant inaction on the White House and Congress on repealing DADT.  Pietangelo and Choi’s trial will take place on April 26.

Said Choi after his arraignment:

“There was no freer moment than being in that prison. It was freeing for me, and I thought of all of the other people that were still trapped – that were still handcuffed and fettered in their hearts. And we might have been caged up physically, but the message was very clear to all of the people who think that equality can be purchased with a donation, or with a cocktail party, or with tokens, that are serving in a public role. We are worth more than tokens. We have absolute value. And when the person who is oppressed by his own country wants to find out how to get that dignity back – being chained up and being arrested – that’s how you get your dignity conferred back upon you. And so I think that by actions, my call is to every leader – not just talking gay leaders – I’m talking any leader who believes in America, and the promises of America can be manifest. We’re gonna do it again. And we’re going to keep doing it until the promises are manifest. And we will not stop. This is a very clear message to President Obama and any other leader who supposes to talk for the American promise and the American people. We will not go away.”

AmericaBlog reports that the Human Rights Campaign was “on lockdown” today for fear of sit-ins from protesters,  as well they should be.

“Apparently HRC is on lockdown, out of fear that gays civil rights advocate, angry at the organization for providing cover for the President’s and the Congress’s in action on DADT and ENDA, might try to stage a sit-in. I hear that even staff had to use key cards to get into the building, as everything was locked up tight (normally the front door is open). Locking the building down like the gay CTU is certainly one option. Another is simply doing your job. NB “Inaction” is incorrect. The White House is quite literally not interested in doing DADT this year. And HRC is publicly misleading the community about it. That’s why Barney Frank had to come out last Monday and ask the White House, publicly, to say that it wants DADT repealed this year.”

Watch Dan Choi’s Statement below:

The Human Rights Campaign’s WORTHLESS Excuse Why Their WORTHLESS Organization And WORTHLESS President Joe Solmonese DID NOT Back Up Lt. Dan Choi (Video)

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This should bring everyones disgust level up to a new all time high with the HRC with the following statement the HRC released on why Joe Solmonese stayed behind for photo op’s while Lt. Dan Choi and Capt. Jim Pietrangelo marched to The White House and handcuffed himself to the fence in protest.

“Today more than 1000 people showed up at a rally – 500 of which signed up to become more involved in the fight to repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’ Joe Solmonese along with Eric Alva and others felt it was important to stay and engage those at the rally in ways they can continue building the pressure needed for repeal. This does nothing to diminish the actions taken by Lt. Choi and others. This is the nature of social change and everyone has a role to play.”

More like “Little Joey Solmonsleaze” stayed behind to cover his lily white ass and not to piss off the White House and to seperate the HRC from Choi’s and Pietrangelo’s actions so he can conti ue to be invited to White House functions it should read.  But get this.  NOW in a LATER statement concerned about the “Lt. Dan Choi Kanye’d the HRC” story being reported on MANY blogs (including this one), the HRC has posted the following elaboration of their earlier statement.

Singer Tom Goss kicked off the event followed by the first American wounded in the Iraq war, retired Marine Staff Sgt. Eric Alva. Also speaking were Ben Mishkin of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network and Alex Nicholson of Servicemembers United. Finally, Kathy Griffin took to the stage, talking about her experiences this week in Washington, welcoming Lt. Dan Choi to the stage to make a few remarks and then calling for a moment of silence to honor our troops who serve in silence.

There’s been some confusion about Lt. Dan Choi’s role in the rally. As Joe Solmonese was walking to the stage, Lt. Choi asked Joe if he could have a speaking role. Joe explained that it wasn’t his sole decision to make on the spot given that there was already an established program that included Kathy Griffin, other organization and veterans. After Choi then spoke with Kathy Griffin, she agreed to bring him up on stage and speak to the crowd during her remarks.

But John Aravosis at AmericaBlog says the HRC statement is “utterly untrue.” Because HE WAS THERE and saw what happened.

That is simply untrue. I was there, standing next to Dan, about 10 feet from Kathy Griffin and Solmonese. They were behind a rope line, to keep them from the rally attendees. They looked over at Dan when he asked them, for the second time, to come with him to the White House (mind you, they had no idea that he was planning to handcuff himself), and they just stared back at him. They were not helping engage the rally about how to build pressure – the rally was over, they were already off the stage, behind it actually, getting ready to leave behind a secure rope line to separate them from the crowd. I’m sorry, but this statement is flat out untrue. They were getting their photos taken. Unbelievable.

AmericaBloh had also posted this Video of Solmonese and Griffin IGNORING Choi and Pietrangelo as they called out to them saying they were heading to the White House.

This has got to be the straw that breaks our back where the HRC is concerned. 

Either we take this organization, which supposedly represents us back and DEMAND the firing of Solmonese and the current Board and an immediate retooling of the orgaization and it’s current gadfly statagyor we KILL IT and demand its disbandment. 

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

The NGLTF Conference! – Creating Change? Or Creating A Soiree’?

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Creating Change, the annual conference from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, kicks off today in Dallas.
So for $350 + Hotel + Meals + Airfare some two thousand LGBT activists, Will be liestening to Dan Choi speak and going to some workshops before they bum rush the stage to see dance troop Vogue Evolution perform, clamoring for the gift bags stuffed with samples from the conference’s sponsor Wet Lube, do some shopping fro various vendors and attend all the evening events.  (aka Parties)

THIS is how Gay Inc. works.

The NGLTF makes a lot of money with this conference, but we don’t get anything except Rea carey issuing some statements throughout the year.

What a joke.

Even the trailer is lame.