SPOKANE, Wash. — A Spokane veteran is joining a class action lawsuit against the Department of Defense.
Hayden Powell was kicked out of the Air Force in the late 1990s because of her sexual orientation and says she's still not entitled to benefits other vets receive.
Powell was stationed at Malstrom Air Force Base in Montana, where she was trained as an operator. She loved the job and her Dad was so proud, he started a scrapbook.
But, decades later, it's difficult for her to flip through the pages.
"I was 21 when I was kicked out," Powell said. "I'm 45 and I'm still trying to get it together."
Powell served during the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" era and says she kept her sexual orientation a secret.
But, someone outed her.
"Came to me and let me know ahead of time that she had informed our first sergeant of my sexual orientation," Powell said. "I looked at her and said, 'you just ruined my career.'"
That same day, Powell was ordered to report to the base commander's office.
"He started reading from a form that stated that somebody had said that I was a lesbian and that they were initiating an investigation into alleged acts of homosexual conduct," Powell said.
Powell was kicked out of the Air Force and her separation paperwork, or DD Form 214, lists homosexual acts as the reason.
"I felt like a criminal," Powell said. "I felt ashamed, embarrassed, scared and alone."
"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was repealed more than a decade ago. Service members no longer have to hide their sexual orientation, but Powell says she's still being denied benefits other veterans are entitled to.
"I can't get the VA one time home loan or just even the monthly veterans benefits, medical insurance and because of what it says on my 214 and the discharge codes," Powell said. "I can't access things."
"There's a place that tried to recruit me for private security and wanted to pay me more for being a veteran but then after they saw my DD 214 that was a no go," Powell said.
Powell has joined a class action lawsuit against the Department of Defense, seeking justice for the estimated 35,000 + vets discharged under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
Attorney Meredith Dixon, who is representing Powell, says no one is seeking money damages in this lawsuit.
"This case is about restoring honor and the government fixing all of these military records that it has had the opportunity to fix for over a decade," Dixon said.
"I want people to know what it's been like, for all of us," Powell said. "It's been decades of shame and embarrassment, humiliation. 35,000 people that decided willingly to serve our country, to defend rights and freedoms that we do not even have or can't even enjoy ourselves."
DOWNLOAD THE KREM SMARTPHONE APP
DOWNLOAD FOR IPHONE HERE | DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID HERE
HOW TO ADD THE KREM+ APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for KREM in the Channel Store.
Fire TV: search for "KREM" to find the free app to add to your account. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon.
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email webspokane@krem.com.