Dan Choi: Comments Unbecoming

My friend Tanya Domi has an excellent post at The New Civil Rights Movementabout Dan Choi that is a must read! It demonstrates that even among an oppressed group there are some still willing to oppress others.

My friend Dan Choi uttered a truly despicable analogy of Harry Reid, Majority Leader of the Senate, last week by likening him to a “pussy” that “will bleed once a month,” because of Reid’s “weak” leadership in failure to pass a “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal measure in September.

Just so happens, Dan’s very demeaning analogy was recorded by Village Voice journalist Steve Thrasher on Oct. 27, who reported his words in a lengthy feature for all the world to see and read.

The statement Dan made had nothing to do with sexual orientation, or DADT. Rather, his words reveal deeply-held beliefs that are predicated upon sexism that equates women with weakness. His rationale: Women bleed, women are wounded, thus unable to wield power effectively.

Inside the LGBTQ community, the issues of sexism, racism and classism are continually at play, as we all struggle to unshackle ourselves from a myriad of oppressions. Yet, it remains true and unspoken, that sexism is an undercurrent in all forms of oppression.

A joint letter to Dan from the Service Women’s Action Network (SWAN), National Center for Lesbian Rights, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Servicemember’s Legal Defense Network and the National Organization for Women appears to have caused Choi to reconsider his comments. Good.