Elaine Rodriguez is one of thousands of gay and lesbian service members who were kicked out of the military with less than honorable discharges — victims of discrimination who have continued to fight to regain their honor, a CBS News investigation found.
Elaine Rodriguez was 23 years old when Navy investigators first confronted her about her sexuality in 1990. She handled it the only way she knew how, by denying it.
Rodriguez is one of thousands of gay and lesbian service members who were kicked out of the military with less than honorable discharges — victims of discrimination who have continued to fight to regain their honor, a CBS News investigation has found. Rodriguez's discharge paper, known as a DD-214, lists the reason for her separation as"misconduct commission of a serious offense" — words she says still sting."It makes me feel like I'm a criminal."
There have been drastic changes to the way the military handles sexual orientation since Rodriguez was discharged. A policy known as"don't ask, don't tell" drummed out an estimated 14,000 LGBTQ service members from 1994 to 2010 before being ruled unconstitutional and repealed. Attorney Christie Bhageloe is the director of a pro bono discharge upgrade program run by the Veterans' Consortium. Her biggest concern is the lack of awareness among these veterans that a discharge upgrade is even possible. Of the 1,200 requests she gets each month, less than 1% are from LGBTQ veterans."That's what worries me. I know they're out there," she said.
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