Dec 22, 2020 8:08 PM EDT
When President Bill Clinton signed the 1993 bill that became known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” rehashing the military’s World War II-era ban on gay and lesbian service members, it was still abstract for Bridget Altenburg, who was then in her junior year at West Point. She was not yet serving in the military, nor had she come out as gay.
But once she did, at age 24 while stationed in Germany, the law had real-life implications. Feeling the relief of self-acceptance, Altenburg came out to some supportive friends in her unit. But then someone reacted negatively.