At 23, José Zuniga was a veteran of Desert Storm and Sixth Army Soldier of the Year when he walked onto the stage in his dress blues at a huge celebration the night before the 1993 gay March on Washington and announced that he was gay in order to help the lift the ban effort initiated by President Clinton. To thunderous applause, he moved many in the stunned crowd to tears when he expressed what they were all feeling: “I urge you, Mr. President, lead the way, show us the courage and conviction to guide our country, and specifically the military, into a new era of understanding.” Army command could only show their anger, discharging him in near record time—in less than a month and brutally demoting him in rank after falsely accusing him of wearing a decoration he had not earned. During his hearing, his battalion commander melodramatically threw newspapers whose front pages had featured Zuniga’s story into a trash can. Their shameless attempt to discredit him did not deter Zuniga from continuing to speak out all across America until the DADT charade became a fait accompli.
Now on the Board of Directors of SLDN and President & Chief Executive Officer of the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care, Zuniga will reunite with 1993 comrades-in-arms former Navy Lt. Tracy Thorne-Belgand and former Army CPT. Tanya Domi, Movement legends Frank Kameny, Rev. Troy Perry, and David Mixner, and today’s newest leaders in the fight against Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Dan Choi, Anthony Woods, Eric Alva, and Alex Nicholson for an historic multigenerational protest against DADT and memorial honoring Leonard Matlovich, the first servicemember to volunteer to fight the original ban. Click to view the speakers bios for this event.
Music by Potomac Fever from the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington DC.
Saturday, October 10th, 2 pm. Congressional Cemetery, 1801 E St SE at Potomac Avenue, Washington DC.
Take DC Metro Orange or Blue Line to Potomac Ave or Stadium-Armory Station. Street parking.
Click to return to the main page of the National Equality March.
