Fighting to Serve
Behind the Scenes In the War to Repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"
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- $ 64.900,00
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- $ 64.900,00
Descripción editorial
Revealing the backstage dealings that led to the 2010 repeal of the Pentagon's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) policy, Fighting to Serve offers a detailed, no-holds-barred account of the negotiations from an insider’s perspective. In early 2006, Alexander Nicholson, the founder of the largest organization for gay and lesbian servicemembers—Servicemembers United—along with fellow former military members who had also been discharged under DADT, toured the United States, speaking about the destructive policy at American Legion posts, on radio talk shows, and at press conferences across the South and both coasts. Surprised at the mostly positive reception and momentum for the repeal that the tour provoked, Servicemembers United was suddenly propelled to the forefront of the fight to overturn DADT. From the unique perspective of the only person with a central role on every front in the war against DADT, Nicholson exposes how various LGBT organizations, Congress, the Pentagon, and the White House often worked at cross purposes, telling the public they were doing one thing while advocating other strategies behind closed doors.
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Nicholson, founder and executive director of Servicemembers United, provides an insider's account of the road to repeal the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) law prohibiting the open service of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender military members. Uniquely qualified to describe the process of DADT repeal, Nicholson was the only named plaintiff in the lawsuit that ordered the policy overturned and was personally present at many key events. His account is a straightforward, frank description of how issue politics is done in Washington, describing the successes as well as the strategy disagreements and in-fighting among various progressive advocacy groups. Because of his position in the movement opposing DADT, Nicholson is able to offer commentary on a range of incidents: being personally forced out of the army by the DADT policy; meeting and persuading former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. John Shalikashvili, of the cause's benefits to cultural progress and military readiness; leading and speaking at rallies; and coordinating directly with the White House. Nicholson opens a window on the world of issue advocacy politics, providing keen insight into a realm of political operations that generally occurs out of the public view while offering a working model of a successful movement.
