After Six Decades, Lesbian Veteran’s Military Discharge Finally Upgraded to ‘Honorable’

Helen Grace James Discharged as “Undesirable” in 1955

In 1955, U.S. Air Force veteran Helen Grace James was discharged from the military as “undesirable” for being gay. Now, 63 years later, that’s finally been upgraded to “honorable.”

“Helen Grace James won her honorable discharge from the U.S. Air Force this week — at the age of 90,” NPR reported Saturday. “It is a battle she fought for 60 years.” As they further detailed:

She enlisted in the Air Force in 1952, and had a fine service record. She was promoted to Airman 2nd Class.

But when she was stationed at Roslyn Air Force Base on Long Island, Airman James came under investigation by the Office of Special Investigation. One night in the winter of 1955, she sat with a friend in her car to eat sandwiches when an officer shined a blinding light into her eyes and took her into custody. She was later interrogated for hours. Investigators told Helen Grace James that if she didn’t sign a statement they put in front of her, they would tell her family she was gay.

Gay might not have been the word military investigators used in 1955.

Helen Grace James signed. She was discharged as “undesirable.”

James received word that she’d won her honorable discharge on Wednesday of this week. “I’m still trying to process it,” she told NBC News. “It was both joy and shock. It was really true. It was really going to be an ‘honorable discharge.’”

James was discharged amidst the nation’s “Lavender Scare,” the witch hunt and mass firing of gays and lesbians in the federal government in the 1950s. It was a response to President Eisenhower’s declaration that gay men and lesbians were a threat to the country’s security. They weren’t.

Prior to the news, James detailed the struggles she’s faced throughout the years to NBC. “I tried to get USAA coverage for insurance, and they said ‘No, you can’t be a member, because you don’t have an honorable discharge,’” she said. “I [couldn’t] be buried in a national cemetery either… It’s never out of your scope of thought.”

63 years after being ousted for being a lesbian, James is finally celebrating. “The Air Force recognizes me as a full person in the military,” she said.

Congratulations, Helen, and thank you for your service.

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