Nicholson is part of a group of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender veterans traveling the United States with the Human Rights Campaign’s Legacy of Service Tour, sharing their experiences and opposition of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. The tour was modeled after the Call to Duty Tour, where Nicholson was director.

The Legacy of Service Tour appeared Oct. 25 in Lansing.

Signed into law in 1993 under former President Bill Clinton, “don’t ask, don’t tell” prohibits LGBT people from serving openly in the military.

The policy has even become an issue in the 2008 presidential race, said Antonio Agnone, former U.S. Marine Corps officer and HRC spokesman.

In the New Hampshire debates in June, Agnone said all Democratic presidential candidates raised their hands when asked if they would a support a repeal on the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. In contrast, he said, during the Republican debate none of the candidates raised their hands supporting a repeal.

U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers’, R-Brighton, spokeswoman Sylvia Warner declined to comment Monday.

More than 10,000 service members have been discharged under the policy, according to the HRC.

In times of conflict, Nicholson said discharge rates are from 600-800 each year but during peaceful times they are between 900-1,200.

The Williams Institute at the University of California at Los Angeles estimates there are currently 65,000 LGBT members of the military currently serving.

Nicholson said the tour’s main goal is to educate the general public about the policy because it is often misunderstood. A bill currently in the U.S. House of Representatives would repeal the policy — they just need to pass it and introduce a similar one to the Senate, Nicholson said.

Agnone said he left the Marine Corps in April after serving in Iraq for a year. Being gay, he said, was an added stressor in an already stressful environment because he knew there was no way for his partner to be notified if something happened to him or for him to request bereavement leave if anything happened to his partner back in the U.S.

Also familiar with the policy, former U.S. Army interpreter and translator Jarrod Chlapowski decided to leave in November 2000 when he began to see some fellow comrades discharged.

Chlapowski said he joined the Army in December 1999 during his senior year of high school, and he had not yet come to terms with his sexuality.

“When I came out, and everyone knew I was gay, it wasn’t a problem at all,” he said. “But in the military when you’re open, as a whole you just get paranoid and feel like you could be next.”