Panel Recommends Discharge of Gay Pride Grand Marshall

SFist reported yesterday that Gay Pride Grand Marshall National Guard Lt. Dan Choi faced being discharged from the service, and a military review panel later confirmed this recommendation. The recommendation must be approved by the First Army commander and the chief of the National Guard Bureau, which could take weeks or up to a year. Choi, who is an Arabic translator, will continue to drill with the National Guard until then.

After promising to overturn "Don't Ask Don't Tell" throughout his campaign, Obama now says that he wants Congress to overturn it, but Congress wants Obama to take the lead, and the military must be directed by Congress. The Obama Administration is likely concerned about repeating the issues that the Clinton Administration encountered, but public approval of gays in the military has improved considerably in the past fifteen years. A Gallup Poll taken last month determined that 69% of Americans now favor gays in the military, whereas only 40% were in favor during the Clinton era in 1993.