He doesn’t need to convince me, but Lt. Dan Choi makes a good case for repealing “don’t ask, don’t tell”

I’m no avid supporter of war—camo doesn’t look good on me—but I recently came across a story about an openly gay lieutenant who is fighting to repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell.”

Last week, Lt. Dan Choi appeared on CNN’s American Morning. He is facing dismissal from the military after graduating from West Point, learning Arabic to help while in war, and serving in Iraq. Lt. Choi obviously didn’t take notes from season five of The L Word, and won’t be pulling a Tasha. He’s fighting for his right to serve and is asking that “don’t ask, don’t tell” be repealed.

Instead of playing the discrimination, bigotry, and unaccepted card, Lt. Choi is focusing on values: dishonesty vs. honesty. Which got me wondering, “Dan, have you been reading my book?” While there might be a handful of dishonest people in the world, most of us would agree that deceit is not something that we value. Lt. Choi is taking the approach that “don’t ask, don’t tell” should be repealed because it forces people to be dishonest, to lie about who they are. And those that are protecting our country should not be forced to lie or to give up their dreams and commitments.

Unfortunately, his case has been repealed, but he has taken to the media to help spread his message.