Photos, Video: Six Service Members Handcuff Themselves to White House Fence in 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Protest
UPDATED
Six military veterans, three women and three men including Lt. Dan Choi and Capt. Jim Pietrangelo have handcuffed themselves to the White House fence in a protest against "Don't Ask, Don't Tell".
Video of Choi speaking, AFTER THE JUMP...
GetEqual writes in a press release: "Moments ago, Lt. Dan Choi along with five other lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) discharged veterans -- Capt. Jim Pietrangelo II, Petty Officer Larry Whitt, Petty Officer Autumn Sandeen, Cadet Mara Boyd, and Airman Victor Price -- handcuffed themselves to the White House gates to demand that President Obama keep his promise to repeal 'Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell' this year. The vets are concerned about mounting signs that the President is wavering on his promise to push for repeal this year."
Said Choi: “We are handcuffing ourselves to the White House gates once again to demand that President Obama show leadership on repealing ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’ If the President were serious about keeping his promise to repeal this year, he would put the repeal language in his Defense Authorization budget. The President gave us an order at the Human Rights Campaign dinner to keep pressure on him and we will continue to return to the White House, in larger numbers, until the President keeps his promise to repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ this year.”
GetEQUAL has posted a page about the action currently taking place.
12:45 pm: The media has apparently been pushed way back and Lafayette Park has been closed.
1:00 pm: The service members have reportedly been removed from the fence, put in a paddy wagon, and arrested.
Video of Choi speaking, AFTER THE JUMP...
Questions are now being raised about censorship of the press in this instance (see video, AFTER THE JUMP).
Ben Smith at Politico: "Police chased reporters away from the White House and closed Lafayette Park today in response to a gay rights protest in which several service members in full uniform handcuffed themselves to the White House gate to protest 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.' People who have covered the White House for years tell me that's an extremely unusual thing to do in an area that regularly features protests."
Why did the White House do this?
(images by john aravosis via rex wockner and twitter, video via americablog)
Choi speaks:
Media is moved from Lafayette Park:
what is going on in the background?
Posted by: Alex Paris | Apr 20, 2010 3:16:53 PM
Rock on. Thanks to those who can do it and have the balls to do it. Visual protests like this are a reminder that we WILL NOT go away and put the pressure on the President to step it up.
Posted by: Tonic | Apr 20, 2010 3:18:00 PM
Interesting strategy but I don't think a media circus is the right way to try and change things
Posted by: Patty | Apr 20, 2010 3:37:11 PM
That this even has to happen while Obama is in office if a travesty! But Patty, what do you suggest? I agree with those saying there should also be sit ins in some offices in Congress.
Posted by: Rann | Apr 20, 2010 3:45:57 PM
FACTS for those innocently uninformed but mixed, alas, with the ObamaRahmbots who will say ANYTHING to prevent the leader of their personality cult from being criticized:
Yes, members of Congress are the only ones who have the literal power to repeal DADT, but the reasons they haven’t yet goes directly to the actions and inactions of the President and those who speak and act in his name.
1. As far back as last June, DADT repeal advocate and Chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee Carl Levin said that repeal would be impossible without hands-on Presidential leadership.
2. The same month, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid asked for repeal help from the President, AND urged him to freeze discharges with an Executive Order pending repeal.
3. The same month, Cong. Alcee Hastings and 75 House colleagues sent a letter to the President asking him to stop discharges and fight for repeal. That letter, and a second by Hastings, was never answered, and Hastings was pressured by the White House into withdrawing his legislative effort to stop discharges. NY Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's similar efforts were quashed.
4. The same month, the President said there was an “URGENCY” to ending DADT both because it is unjust and because it “weakens national security.”
5. Last September, Sen. Reid, I believe at the urging of Derek Washington, sent his own letter to the President and Secretary of Defense [SECDEF] Gates. "Your leadership in this matter is greatly appreciated and needed at this time." To the best of my knowledge it, too, was never answered.
6. In January 2010, the President said in his State of the Union that he would work with Congress to repeal DADT. Despite claims from his named and anonymous spokespersons, there is NO evidence he has done that.
7. In February the President’s direct reports, the SECDEF and Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff [CJCS] Mullen told Levin’s committee that they personally supported repeal BUT that Congress must NOT vote on it until after their “study” on the “impact” of repeal is released in December.
This was curious AND telling for multiple reasons, chief among them: a. they have previously defended DADT their entire careers; b. Mullen endorsed the “impact” study though he said he NEVER saw any impact during FORTY-TWO YEARS in the military; c. they cannot help but know that the expert consensus is that repeal this year is impossible save as a part of the defense authorization and budget process [DEFAUTH] and that must be completed by October…two months before the “results” of their “study” will be announced.
8. Contrary to continued claims the President is actively involved in getting Congress to repeal, Cong. Barney Frank, who rarely criticizes the President, said last month that the President was ducking the issue.
9. Three weeks ago, HRC condemned yet another of the Obama Department of Justice’s many court briefs defending DADT in the same homophobic terms used to justify its original passage, adding, “The President can and must provide the leadership necessary to get the [repeal] passed this year.”
10. A week ago, Cong. Frank amplified his earlier remarks to say that the President was, in fact, AGAINST repeal this year, and that opposition was giving members of Congress a excuse NOT to vote for repeal.
11. Last week, the Democratic Majority Leader in the House, Steny Hoyer, said that they were NOT going to put repeal into DEFAUTH. Translation: no repeal.
12. Last week, the Department of Justice revealed their SIXTH defense of DADT in court briefs saying that their OWN BOSS, the President, was WRONG when he said DADT weakens national security.
13. Last week, members of Congress told various members of the gay community that they were being told by representative of the White House NOT to vote for repeal.
14. Yesterday, the Executive Director of SLDN, the oldest group focusing solely on DADT repeal, which urged the President to insert repeal in LAST YEAR’s DEFAUTH, wrote an open letter to the President saying that they had been told by MULTIPLE sources that the Pentagon was telling members of Congress not to vote for repeal, and asking him, as Commander-in-Chief [to whom the Pentagon reports], to publicly say that he wants repeal THIS YEAR and to facilitate that by instructing that repeal be inserted in DEFAUTH.
And all of that is why SLDN, HRC, NGLTF, Servicemembers United, AVER, TAVA, and, yes, GetEqual are demanding that the President keep his promise and PERSONALLY lead Congress to repeal because if he doesn't, no matter how much voters lobby them, it WILL NOT HAPPEN.
Posted by: Michael @ LeonardMatlovich.com | Apr 20, 2010 4:10:18 PM
Oh Michael@ LeonardMatlovich.com where the fuck were you when your saint Bill and Hillary Clinton put DADT in place? Where you screeching hysteria then?
Posted by: Ed | Apr 20, 2010 7:07:09 PM
@ Ed: yes, you obvious ObamaRahm cockroach I was, and for nearly twenty years before that when the ban was just a ruthless policy...starting when Gerald Ford was Prez, then when Dem Carter was Prez, through 7 Presidents including BO.
Permit me to add "sexist PIG"...make that "SELECTIVE sexist pig" to your titles, too, AS IF Hillary had anything to do with DADT. You don't hear me or Dan Choi condemning Michelle.
FAIL.
Posted by: Michael @ LeonardMatlovich.com | Apr 20, 2010 7:14:26 PM
Wow a whole six? Yet I would wager I can find twice that many who would rather see them chained up in a nice small jail cell rather then serve beside them so if majority rules, and last I looked it did, then these six need go back to swishing their asses in another profession.
Posted by: Michael Letterman | Apr 20, 2010 7:21:27 PM
Michael @ LeonardMatlovich.com, wow how mature to call people names like cockroach. the FAIL here is always you.
Posted by: Ed | Apr 20, 2010 9:45:31 PM
Obama is lying about his desire to repeal DADT. He knows that if he should actively push himself for repeal, the black military will withdraw their protection of him & he'll be assassinated. Similarly, the black churches will no longer support him & he will be Mr. One-Term, if he lives that long.
Posted by: mike shackleford | Apr 21, 2010 12:04:09 AM
To all the people (mostly it seems straight) who I have seen post various places about "well what are you going to do, vote Republican?" They don't understand the dynamic.. sometimes it is better to have an enemy you know than a supposed 'friend' who you don't know will either run away or stab you in the back. I won't vote Republican, but I sure won't vote Democratic if campaign promises from 2006 aren't done yet. They would have failed.
Posted by: steve talbert | Apr 21, 2010 12:38:35 AM
One of them is a veteran with a service-related disability. Because of that, she too is subject to the UCMJ, and could lose her only income.
And you know what? She's not even LGB, but LGBT. Removal of DADT will have no effect on the discharge of those such as her.
If she's lucky, she'll be in solitary confinement now, unlike the others. In a maximum security facility. If unlucky... a woman in the general population of male prisoners. She quite literally is risking her life for this.
Posted by: Zoe Brain | Apr 21, 2010 4:17:25 AM
keep this going! Put out more word about your protests and get people out there to join! I'd be there.
Posted by: KFLO | Apr 21, 2010 3:18:01 PM
On Monday GetEqual slaps the President during a speech.
In Kip's William's words:
"They interrupted his speech, DEMANDING the immediate repeal of DADT and full equality for the entire lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. They were escorted out of the event without incident."
On Wednesday the White House announces (for the first time) they will WAIT for the Pentagon Study to be completed before taking any action on DADT Repeal. DADT Repeal will WAIT until after the Mid-terms.
Now we are in a war with the White House. Congratulations to Kip, Robin and the GetEqual bunch.
Posted by: AndrewW | Apr 22, 2010 12:26:30 PM
i have an idea.. i think that handcuffing is a great idea.. how about all you guys handcuff yourselves to a freightrain.. now that would be a statement.
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