Howard Dean addresses crowd at 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' rally at White House

the White House fence, pressure mounted on Sunday in response to what is perceived as slow movement by the Obama administration on repeal of the ''Don't Ask, Don't Tell'' law.

Dean told the crowd of more than 100 assembled in Lafayette Park on May 2 that the committee chairman running the DADT discussion in the Senate ''has the votes'' to pass a repeal in his committee this year.

The rally, organized by Get Equal and other activist groups, had promoted the participation of Lt. Dan Choi and James Pietrangelo II, the two veterans who have twice been arrested for handcuffing themselves to the fence in front of the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue. On Saturday, the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) announced that its executive director, Aubrey Sarvis, would be speaking as well.

As the event unfolded on Sunday, however, word spread that Dean would be speaking. Before he addressed the crowd, Dean told Metro Weekly he had not planned to attend the event but was in the area for a Democracy for America fundraiser and supported the cause.

''It's a cause I think is really important. I think equality under the law can't be abridged under any circumstances,'' said the former Vermont governor. ''Gay and lesbian Americans have given their lives for this country, and they should be able to say who they are proudly, and I think it will make the armed forces stronger, not weaker.''