Lt. Dan Choi, an Iraq war veteran and Arabic translator whose discharge under the military’s ban on openly gay service personnel, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT), is still pending, announced on Thursday that he and fellow DADT repeal advocates including former Army Captain James Pietrangelo will be launching a hunger strike until President Obama meets their demands.

From the press release:

Immediately following congressional mark-ups on the National Defense Authorization Act 2011, Captain James Pietrangelo and I will commence a fast in pursuit of Equality and Dignity. We have three demands of President Barack Obama:

Demand #1: End the Comprehensive Working Group “Study,” which insults the dignity of all Americans.

Demand #2: End “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” discharges forever.

Demand #3: Replace all discriminatory regulations in the military with a comprehensive non-discrimination policy.”

A legislative “compromise” was announced earlier this week that, on Thursday, allowed lawmakers in the U.S. House to move forward on attaching legislation to the Defense Authorization Act that would allow for the repeal of the “Policy Concerning Homosexuality in the Armed Forces” or 10 U.S.C. 654, therein removing the legislative roadblock to ending the ban on openly gay service personnel.

It is important to note that, as per the compromise, the amendment does not end the ban immediately as the effect will be delayed until the Department of Defense has completed its implementation study (due December 1) and the military has brought its own policies in line with the change. In fact, the repeal will only be enacted when the Joint Chiefs of Staff along with the President sign-off on the change, and there is no firm deadline compelling action in the immediate future.

The amendment’s lack of a specific time frame for enacting the repeal has been marked as a central concern for repeal advocates. Also, the fact that the legislation contains no anti-discrimination policy and instead puts the handling of gay and lesbian soldiers at the discretion of military leaders, has been a red flag to many as the potential for abuse of that discretion remains an issue.

Choi, who has been a vocal critic of the amendment, detailed his feelings earlier this week in the following video:

You can read more about the amendment here. It should be noted that while the effects of the amendment will be delayed should it pass, changes that were made a few months ago to the implementation of the DADT policy remain active. To find out more about those changes, please click here.

Earlier in the year, Choi made national news when he and James Pietrangelo, along with other repeal advocates, chained themselves to the White House fence to protest DADT and call the President to action.

Choi also announced on Thursday that people can expect more non-violent protests, saying via updates on his Twitter page:

“In response to the United States Senate and the House of Representatives voting on the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, forces are mobilizing for non-violent direct action and civil disobedience. Veterans are ready to spend Memorial Weekend in prison. Fasting will also commence. The simple demands are (1) End DADT firings. (2) Enact non-discrimination. (3) End the insulting, wasteful study.”

Details of Thursday’s Votes
After fierce debate, the House voted in favor of the amendment by 234 to 194. 229 Democrats and 5 Republicans voted in favor with 168 Republicans and 26 Democrats opposed. Find out how your lawmakers voted here.

The Senate Armed Services Committee also voted Thursday to advance counterpart legislation

In a closed session, lawmakers voted 16 to 12 in favor, with one Republican, Senator Susan Collins of Maine, voting for the amendment, and one Democrat, Senator Jim Webb of Virginia, voting to oppose. Chariman of the committee Senator Carl Levin (D-Michigan) said he believed that the votes were present in the Senate to pass the amendment. Alongside several other Senate Republicans, Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) is believed to be planning a filibuster of the bill.

President Obama Praises Congress on Legislative Action
Following the votes in the House and the Senate Armed Services Committee, the President released the following statement:

I have long advocated that we repeal ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’, and I am pleased that both the House of Representatives and the Senate Armed Services Committee took important bipartisan steps toward repeal tonight.  Key to successful repeal will be the ongoing Defense Department review, and as such I am grateful that the amendments offered by Representative Patrick Murphy and Senators Joseph Lieberman and Carl Levin that passed today will ensure that the Department of Defense can complete that comprehensive review that will allow our military and their families the opportunity to inform and shape the implementation process.  Our military is made up of the best and bravest men and women in our nation, and my greatest honor is leading them as Commander-in-Chief. This legislation will help make our Armed Forces even stronger and more inclusive by allowing gay and lesbian soldiers to serve honestly and with integrity.

The President has faced criticism for not acting quickly enough on his promise to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and for not showing enough leadership on pushing the repeal effort forward. That this amendment appears to hand the reigns of the repeal over to military leaders has not done much to alleviate such criticism, although most repeal advocates seem to agree that Thursday’s vote was a step in the right direction, albeit a small one.

Meanwhile, response to Choi’s hunger strike has been mixed. While many commend Choi’s bravery and his unyielding push for equality, it seems there is also some doubt as to how effective such an action can be. What are your thoughts? Can a hunger strike be effective? Or will such a protest fall on deaf ears? Have your say in our poll below.

If you would like to follow the hunger strike protest, dubbed “Dignity Fast”, you can do so on Facebook or Twitter.

Related Resources:

• H.R.1283 – Military Readiness Enhancement Act of 2009
• S.3065 – Military Readiness Enhancement Act of 2010
• Myths and Falsehoods on ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’
• New Report Undermines Officers’ Letter Supporting ‘Don’t Ask’
• GetEqual’s list of US Senators on the Senate Armed Service Committee and their positions on the DADT repeal.
• DADT Discharges Breakdown by Fiscal Year