Bill Douglas
Bill Douglas was a sergeant stationed at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs in 1978 at the age of 25. He had unsuccessfully sought discharge on the basis of being gay, but his discharge was not granted. The army did not believe his claim that he was gay, demanding notarized statements from his sexual partners to affirm his identity.
That changed on September 1, 1978, when Bill went into the mess hall at Ft. Carson in full drag: a black evening gown, high-heeled shoes, and a wig. Bill said he resorted to "shock treatment" because the army would not recognize his homosexuality otherwise. It worked, and his discharge was granted. [1][2]
Key Dates
- September 1, 1978: Sergeant Bill Douglas protests the army dragging their feet on discharging him for being gay by going into the Fort Carson mess hall in full drag.
References
Croix, Sukie de la. “What a Difference a Gay Makes.” Outlines: The Voice of the Gay and Lesbian Community 12, no. 12 (1998): 23. Archives of Sexuality and Gender. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/HQBVSO555202415/AHSI?sid=bookmark-AHSI&pg=23&xid=96e15db6. ↩︎
“US Air Force Starts Gay Purge.” Body Politic, no. 48 (November 1978): 17. Archives of Sexuality and Gender. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/HMAFTI993382836/AHSI?sid=bookmark-AHSI&pg=17&xid=da6e3716. ↩︎