There was a protest in front of the White House today by several members of the military opposed to the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy:
Six people in military uniforms, including Lt. Dan Choi, handcuffed themselves to the North Lawn fence of the White House today to protest the fact that the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy has not been repealed.
U.S. Park Police cleared the area and used chain cutters to place the demonstrators under arrest, CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller reports.
Choi, at left, is an openly gay Iraq war veteran and West Point graduate who has emerged as one of the most prominent critics of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, which bars gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military. Choi, who announced he is gay on television last march, was also arrested for chaining himself to the White House fence last month.
A group called GetEQUAL, which appears to have organized today’s action, posted a statement calling on President Obama to repeal the policy immediately through action connected to the upcoming Defense Authorization Bill.
“President Obama knows that the DAB provides a way to repeal DADT immediately,” Get Equal says. “And he knows that repealing the policy quickly and decisively is the right thing to do for LGBT servicemembers and for all of the armed forces. But recent reports suggest that the Administration is trying to delay any law change until December or even later.”
Despite Mark Knoller’s report, though, many members of the White House Press Corps found themselves being pushed away from covering the protest at all:
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.
Video:
Transparency !
