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Case 1:18-cv-00011-DAD-EPG Document 1 Filed 01/02/18 Page 4 of 13

11. Before long, OSI began to investigate Ms. James. They searched her room, including her personal files and letters. They followed her both on and off base, suddenly appearing to ask her questions when she was using the base latrine or eating a sandwich with a friend at a local sandwich shop or even while dancing at a nightclub in New York City called Bagatelles. The constant surveillance and harassment were extremely stressful.
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13. Soon after, Ms. James and two other lesbian Air Force members were arrested in their barracks, taken to separate buildings and interrogated by OSI investigators for hours. Ms. James was asked demeaning questions about her mother, sister, and friends. The OSI investigator told her that she had been followed, her personal files and letters read, and her movements closely watched for some time. She was shamed for being homosexual and told that she was a danger to national security. The investigator then threatened to tell Ms. James' family and friends that she was gay.
14. Ms. James decided she had had enough. She had grown up in a small farming town where everyone knew each other. Nobody, not even her family, knew that she was gay. It simply was not discussed in those days. She told the OSI investigator that he could write down anything he wanted and she would sign it. She never even read what she signed.
15. It took two weeks to process out of the Air Force. During this time, Ms. James was harassed and ridiculed by her fellow airmen and her buttons were cut off her uniform. She was given no severance pay, no insurance or any other benefits. Ms. James was expelled from the Air Force with an "undesirable" discharge on March 3, 1955, after three years of military

3 Case No.
COMPLAINT

Transcription Notes:
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