The situation was,
I didn't realize when I joined I was gay.
I had no idea.
And only until very recently,
it was an offense
And you could go to jail.
you would definitely lose your job.
You, could end up in a military hospital
admittance of that
was going to be a very significant,
Now, I love the Air Force.
I still do
They've been very good to me.
But the pressure was on.
I'd met, my now husband.
We've been together 36 years
and I've been given this award,
and there's a very strong hint
You know, you're going to be selected
You're something of a rising star.
Commander in chief likes you.
Station commander likes you.
All right, well,
So I sat in a grubby flat in Balham,
which is all we could afford
With all this playing on me.
And I had been paying on me for some time,
and I just fell apart.
I remember
and Colin, my partner,
trying to get ready, going there
He would have been 23 or so.
And I said, I don't want to go back.
So I bit the bullet
and came back to the station,
and I went to the station medical officer
and said, “I’m gay”,
and I think I'm going
And he thought
I actually meant was I'd go AWOL
with in less time than it taken me
to sit here
I was in front of the same station
the station warrant officer that we had been screaming
at officers in the gate
with my flight lieutenant,
and the doctor behind me,
and it all came out.
And the station commander,
the wing commander
said, I don't know why I have to do this.
I'm just losing a good man.
I don't know why I have to let you go.
But you've just been given this award and
We have to be careful
So we're just going to let
and it'll be 3 or 4 months,
the reason that there are circumstances
rather than a dishonorable discharge.
And that was it.
That was the career leaving the door.
So the commander looks at station warrant officer,
and says, I don't want any trouble.
I don't want to hear of any nonsense
I just want copper Wright,
To be quietly allowed to collect his kit
and to leave the site
I don't want any trouble.
And this station warrant officer
One of the hardest man
and said, sir, there will be no trouble
because my son is gay
and you could have heard a pin drop.
It's one of the most emotional moments
And then we.
I left the building, I left the base, I left the career.
And that until very recently,
was the last involvement of me
with the military.
