The U.S. Army has ordered out gay activist Lt. Dan Choi to pay $2,500—what it calls the “unearned portion of your enlistment or reenlistment bonus. However, Choi said he will not pay because he was discharged under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
In an open letter to President Obama, Choi wrote, “I received a $2,500 bill from your Defense Department Finance and Debt Services. Specifically, you claim payment for ‘the unearned portion’ of my Army contract. Six months after my discharge under the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy I have tried to move forward with my life, and I was inspired by your clarion calls for our progress as one nation towards a more just society. I have served my country in combat and I have tried to live my life by the values I learned at West Point in continued service to our nation. … Today I also witness the disgrace of a country that perpetually discovers methods to punish its own citizens for taking a moral stand.
“…It would be easy to pay the $2500 bill and be swiftly done with this diseased chapter of my life, where I sinfully deceived and tolerated self-hatred under Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. Many thousands have wrestled with their responsibilities and expedient solutions when confronted with issues of this magnitude. I understand you also wrestle with issues of our equality. But I choose to cease wrestling, to cease the excuses, to cease the philosophical grandstanding and ethical gymnastics of political expediency in the face of moral duty. My obligations to take a stand, knowing all the continued consequences of my violations, are clear.
“I refuse to pay your claim.”