Perhaps best known as the face of the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT), Lt. Dan Choi was born February 22, 1981, in Orange County, California. [1] He was inspired to join the military after seeing Saving Private Ryan and, after graduating from West Point in 2003, served as an infantry officer in Irag. [2] After returning from the war, Choi decided he could no longer separate the realities of his life as a veteran, an Asian minority, an Arab linguist and a gay Christian. As a result, in March of 2009 he joined Knights Out, West Point’s LGBT support organization and three days later, came out on national television during an interview on The Rachel Maddow Show. [3] Within a month, he was discharged from the Army (under DADT) and thrust into a life of activism, becoming the spokesperson for the repeal of DADT. [2] After 17 years, on September 20, 2011, DADT was repealed and Lt. Choi was invited to the White House by President Obama to witness the signing of the law. [4]
To learn more about Dan Choi, visit:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Choi
https://lgbthistorymonth.com/dan-choi?tab=biography
https://www.pri.org/stories/2011-09-20/making-dan-choi
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_Ask,_Don%27t_Tell_Repeal_Act_of_2010