Perry J. Watkins was a young African-American living in Germany where he studied dance when he was drafted in 1968. Watkins, who was already living openly as a gay man, reported at his military induction that he was “homosexual,” but the Army took him anyway, despite the policy at the time that would not allow LGBT people to serve in the US military. Within the first 6 months of his service he was sexually assaulted and requested discharge 3 times. The Army refused to discharge him, stating that an admission of homosexual orientation was not sufficient to warrant discharge. He reenlisted in 1970, again stating that he was gay. In off duty hours he performed as a female impersonator, first in civilian settings, and then as a successful Army entertainer at enlisted clubs throughout Europe. He continued to reenlist, using his military benefits to obtain a college degree in business administration, and travelling the world, serving in both Europe and Korea. Each time he stated that the was gay. The Army would investigate, including mandatory psychiatric screenings, and each time recommend that his sexual orientation was “not detrimental to his job performance” and was no reason to discharge him. In 1980, after he had reenlisted a total of 3 times, the US Army revoked his security clearance. The ACLU sued the Army on his behalf to reinstate his clearance. The Army responded with discharge proceedings, claiming that under new regulations mandating discharge regardless of merit, an “admission of homosexuality” was sufficient to discharge. In 1983 he was allowed to reenlist a 4th time, but was discharged in 1984. His court case continued. In June 1988, the US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals found that the Army’s “regulations violate the constitutional guarantee of equal protection of the laws.” It was the first time a U.S. appellate court ruled against the military’s ban on service by gays and lesbians and bisexuals. The Bush administration sought Supreme Court review of that decision without success. Watkins initially planned to reenlist but settled instead for a retroactive promotion to sergeant first class, $135,000 in retroactive pay, full retirement benefits, and an honorable discharge. Watkins served as Grand Marshal of New York City’s Gay Pride Parade in June 1993. He died due to complications from AIDS IN 1996. He was 48.
President Bill Clinton signed the policy known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” into law in 1993, which prevented LGBT people from serving openly in the US military. President Barack Obama signed the repeal of the DADT Law in 2010, allowing Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual people to serve openly. The Obama administration also instituted a policy to allow Transgender people the right to serve. That policy has been reversed by the Trump administration.
Throughout his struggles with the military Perry Watkins believed he was a victim of white racism within the LGBT community. He believed that because he was African-American, a drag artist, and spoke frankly of his sexual relations, he was seen as a “public relations problem” by major LGBT organizations fighting the military’s ban on LGBT service. He felt he was overlooked and not invited to participate in campaigns. He felt he was betrayed.
American Veterans for Equal Rights joins many of our nation’s top military commanders in acknowledging that both in the military and US society in general we have a racial inequality problem that must be addressed. Black Lives Matter. Certainly in the case of US Army Sergeant First Class Perry J. Watkins, his life mattered to many of us who followed.
We proudly present the following interview with LGBT civil rights champion Perry Watkins which was recorded before his court victory in 1988.
Here is the link to the Perry Watkins interview: https://unerased.org/blog/salute-to-perry-watkins