Nick Givas, DCNF

Former Airman Second Class Helen Grace James is suing the United States Air Force for getting kicked out more than 60 years ago, because she is a lesbian.

Air base police caught James with another female officer alone in a car with the engine off in March 1955. After being arrested and interrogated, James claims that the military threatened to go to her family if she didn’t agree to a “undesirable” discharge, she told The Washington Post.

At 90 years old, James is now asking the courts to change her “undesirable” discharge to an “honorable” one.

“It has crippled her throughout her life,” James’s attorney, J. Cacilia Kim, told WaPo. “This is really so she’s not treated as a second-class citizen anymore.”

James said she became aware she was a lesbian at the age of 2 and asked  to be called “Jim,” according to WaPo.

“I didn’t even know what a lesbian was. I didn’t know that term until later,” James said. “You just didn’t talk about it.”

Several years after James enlisted in the Air Force, rumors began circulating about her sexual orientation and the military began investigating.

James told WaPo that after she appealed the “undesirable” discharge decision, the Air Force claimed that her military records were lost in a fire and delayed the ruling. The board handling her claim finally told James they had reached a final decision, but said it had to be authorized by their executive director. When she didn’t hear back, she sued.

“I’ve done this all because I’ve been pushed. I need to do as much as I can to prove I’m a good person,” James concluded.

You can Follow Nick on Twitter and Facebook

Freedom of Speech Isn’t Free
The Daily Caller News Foundation is working hard to balance out the biased American media. For as little as $3, you can help us. Make a one-time donation to support the quality, independent journalism of TheDCNF. We’re not dependent on commercial or political support and we do not accept any government funding.

• Author
• Recent Posts

BPR Wire

Latest posts by BPR Wire (see all)

• The Florida candidate laser-focused on eradicating horrific animal crimes - March 22, 2024
• Sabo: ‘Rush was our GOAT, there was no equal and he made it look easy’ - February 18, 2024
• Dana Bash appears to want to crawl out of her own skin when Ramaswamy ‘goes there’ on J6 - December 7, 2023

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.