A Texas Tech University student, who is president of the campus Gay-Straight Alliance, published a letter on DallasVoice.com today lashing out at "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" activist Dan Choi and his agent.

The student's beef? Choi's asking price for speaking engagement and his agent's alleged rudeness in dealings with the student.

Nonnie Ouch writes:

"However, I’ve lost all respect for you as a gay- and human-rights activist. In the course of my two short years as an activist in the communities I have lived in, I have met amazing people such as Irene Andrews, C.d. Kirven and Michael Robinson, who travel from city to city, state to state with their own money and ask NOTHING from those who request their speaking services. These people, like myself, live, breath and eat queer activism. They live to inspire others. They live to show the compassion of love to others. They have not lost sight of what is truly important here: equality for all.

"[...snip...]

"So, I ask you, Lt. Choi: Own your truth. Hold yourself accountable for your actions. Look at what you preach and see if it matches your actions. Think about when you were my age, just going into West Point, and feeling alone next to your brothers and sisters. Remember Matthew. Remember Irene, C.d. and Michael. Remember me. Remember those 155,000 people who heard your words. After you do that, think about those in Lubbock, Texas, and other cities who couldn’t “afford” you and how you could have changed their lives."

Read the students letter in full at DallasVoice.com's reader blog...

Is $10,000 -- Choi's speaking fee -- too much? Some might say yes, and some might say no. After all, $10,000 is far, far less than many professional speakers charge (including folks who some might argue aren't anywhere near as inspirational or influential as Choi). How can Choi balance his needs to live (pay rent, health insurance, bills, save for retirement) with a commitment to reach out for the community? He has, indeed, already sacrificed so much.

(Just as an interesting side note: Texas Tech University is not listed in Campus Pride's Campus Climate Index. It'd be interesting to know exactly how LGBT-friendly the campus is, and if unfriendly staff or student leaders might be standing in the campus Gay-Straight Alliance's way when it comes to funding their programs and possible speakers.)

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Campus Pride invites you to join us on Wednesday, October 7, 2009 at 2 p.m. EST for a webinar titled "What's Your Campus Climate: Supporting LGBT & Ally Students." The webinar was scheduled during National Coming Out Week as a way for campus communities to bring visibility to LGBT concerns and to gear up for the historic National Equality March on Sunday, October 11th, 2009.

Now you can learn if your campus is doing everything it should to actively support lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) students within your campus community. Today, more than ever, your campus has the responsibility to implement LGBT-inclusive policies, programs and practices to encourage a safe, welcoming place for all students to learn, live and grow.

Take the opportunity to use this LIVE CAMPUSPEAK CONNECT webinar to re-energize, mobilize and connect students, faculty, staff and administrators on your campus to create change. Please join us for this exciting opportunity.

Lead with PRIDE,

Shane Windmeyer
Founder & Executive Director
Campus Pride

There is going to be an LGBTQ march on Washington on October 10-11, 2009—officially named the National Equality March. The premise is a simple one: “Equal protection in all matters governed by civil law in all 50 states.” Arguments have been made by movement figureheads in favor of the March. David Mixner, Sherry Wolf, Cleve Jones, and several others have provided other terrific arguments. I feel no real need to restate them in full.

I’ve got something a little different to say to student leaders.

I graduated from college a little over a year ago, but I plan on going back to school before too long—I consider myself something of a student on hiatus. In any case, people still in school are of my generation. And it was in my later years of college that my activist self started peeking out, feeling proud. It was a little bit of college activism that eventually led me to volunteer with the DC Host Committee (and its the Student Outreach Subcommittee) of the National Equality March. And it’s students, people learning about the world and themselves, that I tend to focus my thinking on.