Five Women Who Made WAVES

[William769]

With the demise of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” it’s worth remembering that the military was kicking out LGBT troops long before the 1993 policy. Its predecessor, banning gays and lesbians whether closeted or out, resulted in witch hunts like one that ended the careers of five Navy women in 1965 — a case documented in a new book.

“One day you’re being considered for Officer Candidate School, then the next day they’re thinking of getting rid of you,” says J. Lee Watton, who details her experiences in Out of Step, which is coming out in October.

The women were recruits to the Navy’s WAVES — Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service — stationed at the U.S. Naval Training Center in Bainbridge, Md. “We were 18-, 19-, 20-year old kids,” says Watton. “We were just discovering ourselves.” One thing she discovered was her attraction to women. Watton, her girlfriend, and three close comrades considered themselves something of a family. “The Family” was, ironically, the code name of the investigation that resulted in their ouster from the service. “It all happened a lot out of not thinking anyone would notice,” Watton says.

Watton went on to a career in journalism and eventually wrote her story, receiving encouragement from Col. Grethe Cammermeyer, who won reinstatement to the National Guard after her discharge in the pre-DADT days and wrote the book's preface.

http://www.advocate.com/Print_Issue/Advance/Five_Women_Who_Made_WAVES/

[William769]

1. Kick.

[sabrina 1]

2. Sad that so much effort goes into bigotry and so little

in doing good. I am glad they are around to see some progress finally. Imagine how many people who remained in the shadows for centuries though.

I am glad that Watton was reinstated in the NG. What a violation of rights it is to deny any citizen the right to serve their country. We will look back on this in horror some day.

:kick: