Gay businesswoman shares her military discrimination story from the 1990s

By Katya Guillaume - Jun. 22, 2021

Like many Americans, Laura Spaulding joined the military when she was just 19 years old, but her experience in the military did not turn out as she thought it would.

“I really had no choices, I couldn’t afford college on my own. So my only way to get to college was through the G.I. Bill,” Spaulding told Spectrum Bay News 9’s Katya Guillaume.

Spaulding said a career in law enforcement or the military was always something she wanted to pursue.

“It was very challenging both physically and mentally - it was exhausting at the same time - but I liked those challenges and I was learning things that I would’ve never learned anywhere else,” she said as she recalled her time in boot camp.

The enjoyment for her stopped shortly after boot camp, though, during military police training.

“All of a sudden,” Spaulding said, “One evening, I hear over the loud speakers the XO which is like the chief of that base calling individual females by themselves, they would come back and look terrified." She said the late night interrogation came at a surprise for everyone.

“He asked me who I thought was gay." Still stunned by the words, she continued to share her story. “You could tell by his demeanor that this was a vengeance thing for him. He was pissed off that Bill Clinton had signed that bill and he was going to find a way to circumvent it.”

Laura knew who she was before joining the military. She thought the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ bill, signed by former president Clinton in 1993, made joining that much better, until it didn't.

https://www.baynews9.com/fl/tampa/news/2...rimination

(06-24-2021, 02:50 AM)CellarDweller Wrote: Gay businesswoman shares her military discrimination story from the 1990s

By Katya Guillaume - Jun. 22, 2021

Like many Americans, Laura Spaulding joined the military when she was just 19 years old, but her experience in the military did not turn out as she thought it would.

“I really had no choices, I couldn’t afford college on my own. So my only way to get to college was through the G.I. Bill,” Spaulding told Spectrum Bay News 9’s Katya Guillaume.

Spaulding said a career in law enforcement or the military was always something she wanted to pursue.

“It was very challenging both physically and mentally - it was exhausting at the same time - but I liked those challenges and I was learning things that I would’ve never learned anywhere else,” she said as she recalled her time in boot camp.

The enjoyment for her stopped shortly after boot camp, though, during military police training.

“All of a sudden,” Spaulding said, “One evening, I hear over the loud speakers the XO which is like the chief of that base calling individual females by themselves, they would come back and look terrified." She said the late night interrogation came at a surprise for everyone.

“He asked me who I thought was gay." Still stunned by the words, she continued to share her story. “You could tell by his demeanor that this was a vengeance thing for him. He was pissed off that Bill Clinton had signed that bill and he was going to find a way to circumvent it.”

Laura knew who she was before joining the military. She thought the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ bill, signed by former president Clinton in 1993, made joining that much better, until it didn't.

https://www.baynews9.com/fl/tampa/news/2...rimination

Just to add a few faces to the story :-  Gooble 'gay military officers over the ages'

Gooble ? Er Google