Choi & Pietrangelo Begin Hunger Strike

Lt. Dan Choi and Capt. James Pietrangelo have begun their hunger strike in response to the compromise plan to repeal DADT.

At 10:30pm Thursday night, at a private home in Northwest Washington D.C., Lt. Daniel Choi and Captain Jim Pietrangelo began what could potentially be a lengthy hunger strike. In another part of the house, the TV was tuned to C-SPAN, but the two were not watching as the House approved an amendment to the Defense Authorization bill that would overturn the 17 year law banning gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military. It was clear to many, earlier in the day, that it would pass. Choi, a West Point graduate, fluent Arabist and Iraq veteran, said that he and Pietrangelo have three demands for President Obama. “Stop firing people, stop the study that insults everything America is by considering the question of whether or not discrimination is American, and replace the current military discriminatory policy with comprehensive non-discrimination policies,” he told Newsweek.

Dan Choi: "I hope that people will remember in future generations that somebody did stand up uncompromisingly in 2010."