Loading...
On-Air Promo Creative 115x175
|| People of the Year 2009 ||
1 2 3 4 5 NEXT  Page 1 of 5

People of the Year: Part One

The Advocate kicks of its People of the Year issue with Army National Guard lieutenant Dan Choi, True Blood creator Alan Ball, Chaz Bono, New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and National Equality March organizer Robin McGehee.


DAN CHOI X390 (DAN CHEUNG) | ADVOCATE.COM

The Soldier: Dan Choi

If you haven’t heard of New York Army National Guard lieutenant Dan Choi by now, you probably haven’t watched The Rachel Maddow Show, gone to a rally, or signed a “don’t ask, don’t tell” repeal petition over the past year.

Choi first made headlines in March when Knights Out, a group of rogue U.S. Military Academy alumni—yes, that’s West Point—decided to break their stoic silence and come out of the closet. But when Choi appeared on The Rachel Maddow Show later in the month to talk about Knights Out, the Pentagon decided he was breaking rule number 2 of its ban on openly gay personnel—he told. And he kept telling.

A month later, when Choi was handed a notification that he would be investigated for breaching DADT policy, the Iraq war veteran and Arabic linguist got louder. He spoke everywhere. Choi penned an open letter to Congress and President Barack Obama, two major players in repealing the Pentagon’s ban, pleading to keep his job. “As an infantry officer, I am not accustomed to begging,” he wrote. “But I beg you today: Do not fire me.”

More than 162,000 people signed a petition circulated by the Courage Campaign in support of Choi. Nonetheless, after a hearing in front of four military officials in Syracuse, N.Y., he was discharged.

But this hasn’t deterred Choi, who has become the face of the movement to end DADT.
“Many of us have been discharged from the service because we told the truth,” he said at the National Equality March in October. “But I know that love is worth it. We love our country, even when our country refuses to acknowledge our love. But we continue to defend it, and we continue to protect it, because love is worth it.”

Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Twitter. Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Facebook. 1 2 3 4 5 NEXT  Page 1 of 5
Reader Comments
  • Name: Alisia Lopez
    Date posted: 11/23/2009 11:18:57 PM
    Hometown: Fresno

    Comment:

    I admire you Robin, and I agree with you.

  • Name: Phyllis Wilson
    Date posted: 11/17/2009 5:42:21 PM
    Hometown: SF

    Comment:

    Wow, that McGehee chick is HOT!

  • Name: Robin McGehee
    Date posted: 11/16/2009 11:36:01 PM
    Hometown: Fresno, CA

    Comment:

    Self Correction to quote - Her modus operandi: “Some people still say you can push too hard for full equality, but we have to do something to protect our people.” For example, I find it highly insulting and disappointing that Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a woman who announced the KILLING of Harvey Milk over 30 years ago, 'proclaimed that the movement had gone “too far too fast” in pushing for marriage equality'. (http://www.indegayforum.org/news/printer/26933.html) We MUST demand more of the people that represent us and the longer we wait - the longer we sit without equality while some our community, and especially our youth, are killing themselves or being killed.



More Online Only
  • Photography Artist Spotlight: Didio

    São Paulo photographer Didio says he enjoys observing the daily life of normal men. If these photographs tell us anything, it's that Brazil has raised the bar on what defines normal.

  • DVDs Hot Sheet: Sade, Channing Tatum

    This week's hot sheet includes a movie about a gay romance in Jerusalem’s ultra-orthodox Jewish community... and shirtless performances by Channing Tatum and Jonathan Rhys Meyers.

  • Books Jackie Collins Takes on Hollywood

    From overdoses to horny old men to gay guys landing leading roles, best selling novelist Jackie Collins runs her mouth... and it's juicier than ever.

  • Sports Weir Comes Out ... Against Anti-Fur Activists

    With one week to go before the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, irrepressible men’s figure skating star Johnny Weir talks about the threats that led him to rip tufts of fur from his long-program costume.

  • Music Stephin Merritt Keeps It Real

    Stephin Merritt, the lead singer of the critically lauded group the Magnetic Fields, is one of the few openly gay artists in today's music world. Just don't call him "indie."

  • News Features The Strains of DADT on One Couple

    Andrew Cirner tells the story of his relationship with a military man, evading "don't ask, don't tell," a blackmailing ex-lover, and the extreme steps his mother took to save the day.

  • Sports Saints Linebacker Fujita Tackles Gay Marriage

    As New Orleans Saints linebacker Scott Fujita gears up for Super Bowl XLIV, Fujita talks to The Advocate about standing up for gay rights and against inequality, and about Tim Tebow's draft prospects thanks to Focus on the Family.

  • Commentary Mosbacher Family Affair

    Nanette Gartrell pays tribute to former Secretary of Commerce Bob Mosbacher, the father of her partner, Dee. Mosbacher, one of the Republican Party’s most successful fund-raisers, passed away in January. 

  • News Features The Faces of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

    Tuesday's Senate hearing sparked what promises to be the biggest discussion of "don't ask, don't tell" since the antigay policy was instituted in 1993. So The Advocate is spotlighting some of the biggest voices on both sides of the debate.

  • News Features They're Having a Baby

    Thomas Moore, husband to fellow transgender man Scott, talks to The Advocate about helping his spouse get through nine months of doctor issues, baby showers, and bellyaches.

  • Prop 8 Prop. 8 Plaintiffs Speak  

    Jeff Zarrillo and Paul Katami, two of the four plaintiffs challenging California’s Prop. 8 in federal court, talk to Advocate.com about their resolve (and occasional nerves) during the testimony phase of the trial.

  • Music The Grammy Awards in Pictures

    From Lady Gaga's many costume changes to Pink's wet and wild aerial act, take a look at the some of the highlights from Sunday night's Grammy awards.

  • Books Book Excerpt: The Play That Changed My Life

    Playwright Doug Wright, who was awarded the Pulitzer, a Tony, and a GLAAD Media Award for his play I Am My Own Wife, remembers how Charles Ludlam's Ridiculous Theatrical Company inspired his illustrious career.

  • Activism Leaderless

    Porn impresario Michael Lucas looks for the country’s gay Martin Luther King Jr., and finds little to celebrate.

  • Society Life on the G-list: Episode 2

    It may be the most cliché line in all of Hollywood: “What’s my motivation?” And for actor David Moretti, motivation does not include having just conquered Britney, Beyoncé, or J.Lo.