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Don’t Ask Don’t Tell: White House Fence Protestors Have Day In Court

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Remember the “White House 13?” The thirteen GetEQUAL protestors — many of them military veterans — who on November 15, 2010, chained themselves to the White House fence? Today, all thirteen had their day in federal court. Here’s what happened — but let’s take a moment to remember that today marks the 139th day since President Obama signed into law the bill that provides the path to repeal of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell law. We have these activists, in part, to thank for making that possible.

First, Lt. Dan Choi requested to have his case severed from the thirteen. More on that later.

READ: One Of The White House 13 Anti-DADT Protestors, Facing Jail: “Try Me”

The twelve remaining GetEQUAL protestors appeared before U.S. District Court federal magistrate Alan Kay. All twelve were forced to plead guilty to a failure to move charge. The prosecutor read a detailed account of the actions the protestors took.

“Today, the twelve defendants, Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell activists appeared in U.S. District Court and entered a plea for failure to obey –a minor charge,” attorney Ann Wilcox, (who, along with Mark Goldstone, represented the twelve activists,) told The New Civil Rights Movement.

“They will have a clean record. They felt it was a good outcome, they had an opportunity to address the court, and they felt they educated the court on the importance of their actions,” Wilcox, of the National Lawyers Guild, said, adding, “It was a successful day in court.”

 

“I didn’t go to the fence lightly,” said former U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Miriam Ben-​Shalom, who was discharged in 1976 for acknowledging she was a lesbian. “I pled guilty but I’m not a criminal.”


 

All twelve are now on unsupervised probation, and they will walk away on September 10, 2011, with clean records assuming, they don’t get arrested again.

“I didn’t go to the fence lightly,” said former U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Miriam Ben-​Shalom, who was discharged in 1976 for declaring and acknowledging she was a lesbian. “I pled guilty but I’m not a criminal,” Ben-Shalom told the court.

Asked why the government had been so hard on the GetEQUAL protestors, especially since earlier arrests had not led to serious charges, Wilcox surmised that as this was the fourth arrest, perhaps the government felt it had to “up the ante.”

The government’s prosecutor, Angela George, would not budge from forcing a guilty plea from the defendants. Nor was community service or a plea of nolo contendere allowed. “It was more process and procedure than we’re used to,” Wilcox, an activists’ lawyer who also does work for groups like Veterans For Peace, stated.

Now, Dan Choi reportedly did not want to plead guilty, and so had his case severed and will go to trial separately. Choi was represented today in court by Yetta Kurland, of Kurland, Bonica & Associates, P.C. Kurland is  a former New York City Council candidate.

The 13 veterans and repeal advocates arrested and who appeared in court today deserve our gratitude and respect. Their actions helped in the fight to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

* Five veterans (Lt. Dan Choi, Petty Officer Autumn Sandeen, Cpl. Evelyn Thomas, and Cadet Mara Boyd) who were arrested back in March during the GetEQUAL organized “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” act of civil disobedience at the White House fence demanding President Obama show leadership on repeal.
* Robin McGehee, co-​founder and director of GetEQUAL, and Dan Fotou, action strategist for GetEQUAL.
* Former U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Miriam Ben-​Shalom, who was discharged in 1976 for declaring and admitting she was a lesbian. She became the first-​ever LGBT servicemember reinstated to her position in the U.S. Military, by a U.S. Federal District Court. On July 30th, 1993, Miriam and 26 other protesters were arrested at the White House fence for protesting then-​President Bill Clinton’s broken promise to repeal the gay ban – instead signing the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” bill into law.
* Former U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant Justin Elzie who, in 1993, became the first Marine ever investigated and discharged under the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law. Elzie was also the first soldier to be discharged under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” to fight his discharge and win – resulting in his service as a Marine for four years as an openly gay man.
* Former U.S. Army Arabic Linguist Ian Finkenbinder, who was discharged from the Army in December 2004 after announcing to his superiors that he was gay. Finkenbinder is an Iraq war veteran and was about to return for a second tour of duty when he was discharged.
* U.S. Army Veteran and Repeal Advocate Rob Smith, who was deployed to both Iraq and Kuwait before being honorably discharged after deciding not to re-​enlist in the U.S. Army due to the added pressure of living under the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law.
* Father Geoff Farrow, a Catholic priest who spoke out against the church’s official stance in support of California’s Proposition 8, removing the rights of same-​sex couples to marry. Because of his courageous stance against Prop 8, Father Geoff Farrow was removed as pastor of St. Paul’s by his bishop and suspended as a priest.
* Scott Wooledge, a New York-​based LGBT civil rights advocate and blogger who has written extensively on the movement to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” at Daily Kos and Pam’s House Blend.
* Michael Bedwell, long-​time LGBT civil rights advocate, close friend of Leonard Matlovich, and administrator of the site www​.leonardmatlovich​.com.

 

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News

Congressman Conway? Top Trump Critic Reportedly Eyeing House Bid

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2 hours ago

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November 13, 2025

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George Conway, the prominent attorney, Trump critic, and ex-husband of former Trump White House senior counselor Kellyanne Conway, may be considering a run for Congress.

According to a report at CNN and a post by New York Times congressional correspondent Annie Karni, Conway is eyeing a run for retiring Democratic U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler’s New York district.

CNN reported that Conway, 62, is “actively considering running for Congress from New York City, a source familiar with the matter tells CNN.”

Karni reported, “the Conway pitch being — what the House will need next year is an aggressive lawyer with an investigative background just going after Trump.”

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Conway is a former Republican who became an independent in 2018. He has a law degree from Yale, and successfully argued a case before the U.S. Supreme Court, obtaining a unanimous ruling. He is a co-founder of The Lincoln Project and currently co-hosts a podcast at The Bulwark.

Should Democrats retake the majority in the House of Representatives, it’s likely there will be numerous investigations into President Donald Trump and his administration — not to mention possible efforts to impeach the unpopular and controversial Commander in Chief.

Conway would have good company in a primary.

“Jack Schlossberg, former President John F. Kennedy’s grandson, entered the race this week,” CNN noted.

The Daily Beast adds that “much of the buzz around Conway stems from his personal life. While he and his 58-year-old ex-wife, Kellyanne, tried to make their marriage work amid his dramatic political realignment, the couple frequently made headlines. As Kellyanne served as senior counselor to Trump from 2017 to 2020, her husband routinely sounded off on her boss and advisers—including Stephen Miller, whom Kellyanne referred to as one of her ‘best friends’ in the current administration earlier this month.”

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Image by Presia Debauch via Flickr and a CC license

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Melania Trump to Appear With President as Epstein Files Take Center Stage

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5 hours ago

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November 13, 2025

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First Lady Melania Trump will make a rare appearance with President Donald Trump as the Epstein files crisis continues to take center stage.

The President has been all but radio silent for almost a full day, with the exception of a Wednesday Oval Office appearance where he took no questions from reporters.

“President Trump will be joined by First Lady Melania Trump in the East Room for an executive order signing aimed at expanding opportunities for education, career development, housing, and other resources for young people transitioning from foster care to adulthood,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.

Leavitt said the initiative is “part of the First Lady’s Fostering the Future efforts, which are a Be Best initiative.”

“In May,” Newsmax reported, “Melania Trump announced a $25 million investment from the Trump administration to support youth aging out of foster care.”

Recently, the President and First Lady appeared together in the United Kingdom at state visit events in September. That month they also appeared together at a 9/11 event at the Pentagon. Late last month they hosted a White House Halloween event.

Thursday’s event is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.

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‘Out of Touch’: Eric Trump Blasted for $500 Million Bitcoin Brag

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6 hours ago

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November 13, 2025

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Eric Trump, President Donald Trump’s son in charge of the family’s real estate empire, is under fire for bragging about millions of dollars of bitcoin as millions of Americans struggle to put food on the table, after his father urged the Supreme Court to allow him to not fund SNAP during the shutdown.

Millions of Americans found their SNAP accounts unfunded on November 1. SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, helps about 42 million Americans buy groceries. Most people who use SNAP are elderly, children, disabled, or working more than one job.

“There’s no reason, at 5 o’clock, on a Friday afternoon, you should, you know, I should be able to send out a SWIFT wire transfer,” the middle Trump son lamented to Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo. “You know, right now, you can’t.”

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“I try and make a transfer every single week, and you’re trying to push before the 5 o’clock deadline to either receive money or to get it out. How is that modern day finance?” he complained.

“You can send $500 million worth of Bitcoin on a Sunday night at, you know, at 11:00 p.m. while having a glass of wine with your wife,” Trump explained. “For virtually zero fees.”

“You know, how is the system this lethargic? Why does it take you 120 days to get a, you know, go through, Know Your Customer with your bank? If you want to get a home mortgage, it doesn’t make any sense,” he said. “Cryptocurrency is gonna fix every single one of these issues, and Bitcoin is digital gold.”

“Bitcoin is going to be one of the greatest stores of value we’ve ever seen,” he concluded.

Americans are increasingly dissatisfied with the Trump economy, polls show. Inflation has been on the rise, as have prices at the supermarket. The average cost of a car is now over $50,000. Major corporations have announced or are planning to lay off thousands — or even tens of thousands — of workers. Unemployment is estimated to be up, to a four-year high, per the most recent data. Consumer confidence has dropped to a near-record low. There is a possibility that some parts of the country may already be in a recession, according to one economist.

Critics blasted Trump’s remarks.

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“Just like every normal American does,” The Bulwark’s Colin Jones sarcastically remarked.

“Is that before or after you figure out how you’re going to feed your family without the SNAP payments his father went to the Supreme Court to suspend? Or pay the health care costs his administration has made sure to skyrocket? I just want to get the sequencing right,” wrote Franklin Leonard, founder of the Black List.

“I’m just like Eric. Except on my Sunday nights I’m trying to order my Instacart for the family while the low grade gummy kicks in,” wrote The Bulwark’s Sam Stein.

“Don’t let anyone tell you the Trumps are out of touch with rising costs,” remarked MSNBC’s Matt Fuller.

“Starting to think they may not understand what families going through with higher prices…” commented communications professional Eddie Vale.

“These are the same people who blast Zohran Mamdani for caring about affordability,” noted The Friendly Atheist’s Hemant Mehta.

READ MORE: Trump Stumbles Over ‘God Bless America’ Lyrics at Veterans Day Ceremony

 

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