Zoe Dunning Out Navy Commander

The Pentagon’s "don’t ask, don’t tell" policy ended the military careers of many gay and lesbian soldiers, sailors and pilots, but not all of them.

One woman who came out as a lesbian while serving in the Navy fought her discharge case and won, eventually rising to the rank of Commander.

Commander Zoe Dunning, who made history 14 years ago when she came out as a lesbian and won her discharge case with the military, retired after 22 years of military service in a ceremony on the flight deck of the USS Hornet Museum in Alameda.

" I am a retired Navy Commander and lesbian. I publicly “came out” in January 1993 as a political statement in support of then President-elect Bill Clinton’s campaign pledge to allow gays and lesbians to serve openly and honestly in the military. I was one of the first cases under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) and one of the very few exceptions who unanimously won my DADT discharge hearing (using a defense strategy subsequently deemed illegal by the Pentagon). This enabled me to serve the final 14 years of my military career as an open lesbian.

My open service did not unduly expose the unit to an increase in sexual harassment complaints or issues. If anything, it decreased it. In my 26 years in uniform, the only sexual assault or harassment I witnessed were cases of male on female misconduct, many of which went unreported for fear the man would turn the woman in as a suspected lesbian in retaliation (not an unfounded fear, as this happened frequently). I personally was the victim of many inappropriate verbal and physical advances from men, especially as a midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy in the early 1980s, and knew I was powerless to report them for fear of retribution and investigation of me, not the man."

Dunning’s formal military retirement was marked by Dunning and her partner, Pam Grey, walking down the red carpet during the ceremonial "piping over the side" at the end. Dunning had asked for and received permission for Grey to accompany her.

"In some ways, this is your coming out party," Dunning said to Grey from the podium earlier in the ceremony.

Dunning, 43, was praised by speakers at the event, including her sisters, Marine Colonel Amy Dunning and Ruth Dunning Usher. Commander Nick Alaga, who served as master of ceremonies, said he and Dunning had become close friends over years of working together. She was praised several times for her courage during her two-year ordeal in the mid-1990s to remain in the Navy after publicly declaring herself a lesbian at a rally for Keith Meinhold, who was kicked out of the Navy after he outed himself during a prime time television program. A federal court later reinstated Meinhold and he returned to work, retiring from the service in 1996.

"She admitted she was a lesbian and the Navy took immediate action that led to a two-year struggle," said Tom Carpenter, a guest speaker at Dunning’s retirement ceremony who has served on the board of Service Members Legal Defense Network. "From 1993 to 1995 Zoe fought her discharge and she won. Her defense [was] saying her sexual orientation was not conduct but was status."

The Navy, not surprisingly, quickly issued a memo stating that defense "would never work again," Carpenter said, "but left Zoe in the service."

Until her retirement, Dunning was the only openly gay person serving in the military. Meinhold and Colonel Grethe Cammermeyer also continued to serve in the military after disclosing their sexual orientation; they both won court victories. Dunning is the only person who was retained through the military process.

After she won her case, Carpenter said, "she did what any good officer would do – she went back to work."

Dunning retired as a naval commander in the reserves. She was promoted twice since she came out, including one promotion that took place during her discharge fight.

Amy Dunning praised her sister, "I deeply admire her courage and integrity."

"A lot of worlds are colliding today," Dunning said during her remarks. In addition to her work in the reserves, she is a management consultant and is active both in SLDN, where she serves as board co-chair, and USNA Out, the naval academy alumni group that the academy won’t sanction. She has a master’s degree in business administration from Stanford University.

"I like to believe my service made a difference," she said of her military career.

"I think this debate needs to shift from if the law should be repealed to how repeal should best be implemented."

She recounted some of the highlights of her military career, including showing up to work in uniform the week after the rally where she came out. She was told to go home. Instead, she attended an organizing meeting of gay activists fighting the military’s anti-gay policy. Five months later, she said, she was the keynote speaker at a Human Rights Campaign dinner.

After September 11, 2001, Dunning served for six weeks of active duty, and while in San Diego, was seated across from the official who prosecuted her during her discharge proceeding.

"I had made commander and he was still a lieutenant commander," she said.

Dunning said that she was proud of living her life "authentically."

"This has been an amazing ride," she said.