Tag: cnn

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Please Don't Fire Me

Lt. Dan Choi, an Arab linguist, is being fired under Don't Ask Don't Tell. He spoke to CNN's Carol Costello on American Morning. Lt. Choi will be a guest on CNN’s Anderson Copper's 360 Tuesday night beginning at 10pm ET. This is an open letter to Congress and President Obama written by Lt. Dan Choi:

I have learned many lessons in the ten years since I first raised my right hand at the United States Military Academy at West Point and committed to fighting for my country. The lessons of courage, integrity, honesty and selfless service are some of the most important. At West Point, I recited the Cadet Prayer every Sunday. It taught us to “choose the harder right over the easier wrong” and to “never be content with a half truth when the whole can be won.” The Cadet Honor Code demanded truthfulness and honesty. It imposed a zero-tolerance policy against deception, or hiding behind comfort. Following the Honor Code never bowed to comfortable timing or popularity. Honor and integrity are 24-hour values. That is why I refuse to lie about my identity. I have personally served for a decade under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell: an immoral law and policy that forces American soldiers to deceive and lie about their sexual orientation. Worse, it forces others to tolerate deception and lying. These values are completely opposed to anything I learned at West Point. Deception and lies poison a unit and cripple a fighting force. As an infantry officer, an Iraq combat veteran and a West Point graduate with a degree in Arabic, I refuse to lie to my commanders. I refuse to lie to my peers. I refuse to lie to my subordinates. I demand honesty and courage from my soldiers. They should demand the same from me. I am committed to applying the leadership lessons I learned at West Point. With 60 other LGBT West Point graduates, I helped form our organization, Knights Out, to fight for the repeal of this discriminatory law and educate cadets and soldiers after the repeal occurs. When I receive emails from deployed soldiers and veterans who feel isolated, alone, and even suicidal because the torment of rejection and discrimination, I remember my leadership training: soldiers cannot feel alone, especially in combat. Leaders must reach out. They can never diminish the fighting spirit of a soldier by tolerating discrimination and isolation. Leaders respect the honor of service. Respecting each soldier’s service is my personal promise. The Department of the Army sent a letter discharging me on April 23rd. I will not lie to you; the letter is a slap in the face. It is a slap in the face to me. It is a slap in the face to my soldiers, peers and leaders who have demonstrated that an infantry unit can be professional enough to accept diversity, to accept capable leaders, to accept skilled soldiers. My subordinates know I’m gay. They don’t care. They are professional. Further, they are respectable infantrymen who work as a team. Many told me that they respect me even more because I trusted them enough to let them know the truth. Trust is the foundation of unit cohesion. After I publicly announced that I am gay, I reported for training and led rifle marksmanship. I ordered hundreds of soldiers to fire live rounds and qualify on their weapons. I qualified on my own weapon. I showered after training and slept in an open bay with 40 other infantrymen. I cannot understand the claim that I “negatively affected good order and discipline in the New York Army National Guard.” I refuse to accept this statement as true. As an infantry officer, I am not accustomed to begging. But I beg you today: Do not fire me. Do not fire me because my soldiers are more than a unit or a fighting force – we are a family and we support each other. We should not learn that honesty and courage leads to punishment and insult. Their professionalism should not be rewarded with losing their leader. I understand if you must fire me, but please do not discredit and insult my soldiers for their professionalism. When I was commissioned I was told that I serve at the pleasure of the President. I hope I have not displeased anyone by my honesty. I love my job. I want to deploy and continue to serve with the unit I respect and admire. I want to continue to serve our country because of everything it stands for.  Please do not wait to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Please do not fire me. Very Respectfully, Daniel W. Choi 1LT, IN New York Army National Guard

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News Of The Absurd

CNN is so gay friendly. Here in Hotlanta, Turner Broadcasting is one of the largest employers of openly-gay men and women in the Southeastern United States. I was looking for something funny to post today and Jarrett Bellini came to mind. Check out his latest episode of the News of the Absurd. Jarrett Bellini is the younger brother of former Logo/CBS news anchor Jason Bellini. Jarrett is a dedicated soccer fan, he is an enthusiastic supporter of Tottenham Hotspur F.C. of the English Premier League and closely follows Major League Soccer in the United States. He is also an avid reader, independent world traveler, and performing bass guitarist. Bellini, among his notable quirks, is known for hating shoes, and almost always wears flip-flops - even at work and on his podcast. His personal writing, photography, and travel narratives can be found at: www.JarrettBellini.com or his blog at http://tpltheblog.blogspot.com/ His younger brother Jason is openly gay and is currently dating Wil Wikle from Big Brother 5. Will was cast as the villain in the gay spoof sequel titled Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild! his characters name was Jasper in the film. So do you think Jarrett like his older brother Jason is gay or not ?  Drop your thoughts in the comment box below and I'll follow-up.

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CNN Reporter Richard Quest Back to Work After Bust with Meth and Sex Toy

Richard Quest Back to Work After His Party n Play Adventure  Location: New York City, NY A kinky CNN reporter who was arrested in Central Park in April with meth in his pocket and a sex toy in his boot is finally back at work. Richard Quest, who was busted for loitering in the park after hours, took a trip to jail after police discovered drugs on his person an a rope tied around his genitals. Sentenced to drug counseling for six months, Quest has finally returned to work after going through a rehab program. According to PerezHilton.com, Quest filed a news report for CNN about the airline industry on July 3, marking his first assignment for the media conglomerate since his arrest. Quest, an International correspondent for CNN, recently completed a two-month stint in rehab as a result of his arrest. Before his bust in Central Park, Quest hosted CNN’s Business Traveller on CNNI. While he was in rehab, the program continued with guest hosts Andrew Stevens in May and Adrian Finighan in June and July. Question will reportedly resume his hosting duties for the show in August, according to a report on MediaBistro.com and working on other travel assignments for the network. Quest’s first report since his arrest was filed on July 3 and features a story on the British Airways acquisition of a small French airline operating business-class-only flights. The video can be viewed here. Police said they arrested Quest on April 18 after he and another man were spotted inside Central Park after park closing hours. Quest was first busted for loitering, but after being searched, was found to be carrying a small quantity of methamphetamines. Authorities also found a sex toy in the reporter’s boot and a rope around his neck that was strangely tied to his genitals. Quest was taken to jail and charged with loitering and criminal possession of a controlled substance. The man he was seen with was served with a summons for not carrying any identification. At the time, Quest’s lawyers said the journalist did not realize the park was closed and was just “returning to his hotel with friends,” according to the New York Post. According to The Guardian, Quest reportedly once turned down an offer for a position with al-Jazeera’s English language channel because he felt “being gay and Jewish might not be suitable.” Apparently, not only is it okay with CNN for Quest to be both gay and Jewish, but wandering around in a public park with a rope around your balls and meth in your pocket will not keep him out of a job either.

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24 Hour Help For Gay Youth

(CNN) -- The transgendered woman on the other end of the line was threatening to kill herself by jumping off of a parking structure. The Trevor Helpline counselor who answered the phone worked to get the 24-year-old calm and immediately called police for help. Exactly one month later, that same woman called the helpline back -- to thank them for saving her life. Stories like these are the reason The Trevor Project operates its helpline, the only nationwide, around-the-clock crisis and suicide prevention number for gay and questioning youth. More than 500 volunteers are trained for 40 hours to run the bicoastal call centers. "There's a high level of stress that youth face in the transition from youth to adulthood," Charles Robbins, executive director of The Trevor Project, said. "Add on top of that the challenges of sexual orientation or gender identity and we get 15,000 calls a year." A 2005 Massachusetts Department of Education survey of 3,500 high school students, in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found almost 11 percent have seriously considered suicide. And that percentage is almost four times as high for 10 to 24-year-olds who identify themselves as gay, lesbian or bisexual. "Because of the unfortunate stigma that still exists in the United States around homosexuality ... youth tend to hold back their feelings, don't disclose, live in denial or shame," Robbins said. Every year The Trevor Project honors one individual who publicly works to reject that stigma and helps in the group's overall goal: to promote the acceptance of gay and questioning youth in society. This year's honoree, actor Alan Cumming, has been "unapologetic, and true to himself," Robbins said. "Anything that helps those people have a voice and have someone to talk to and have somewhere to turn is really important," Cumming said. "Suicide is in the top three causes of death for teens. That's a shocking statistic." Watch Cumming talk about The Trevor Project » The Trevor Project began in 1998, named after the short film "Trevor" that won an Academy Award in 1994. To encourage open discussions about suicide, personal identity and sexual orientation, the organization created The Trevor Survival Kit. The kit includes the DVD of "Trevor" and a classroom teaching guide. "All of these resources are helpful and necessary for gay and questioning youth because it's important for them to understand that they are not alone, that there is a safe place for them to find someone to listen, and most importantly, that their lives are valuable," Jacqueline Wing, communications manager for The Trevor Project, wrote in an email.

For more information on The Trevor Project, or to see a list of suicide warning signs, visit www.thetrevorproject.org. To contact the helpline, call 1-866-488-7386 or (866) 4.U.TREVOR.