What does a veteran look like?
That is the question Andrea Norton asks people to break their preconceptions about a veteran always being an older white man. She said the military is one of the most diverse parts of society – people join it from all different backgrounds, socioeconomic classes, races, ethnicities and genders.
“Everybody has a multitude of identities,” said Norton, who is a LGBTQ+ veteran. “I just want people to not have to compartmentalize their identity. That they can be both a veteran and a part of the LGBTQ community. LGBTQ people serve their country and they serve it honorably.
"They deserve the same dignity and respect as any other veteran.”
Norton is a community engagement and partnership coordinator at the VA Medical Center in Saginaw.
She served in the Air Force for eight years, was a mobile instructor and was deployed to Afghanistan when the Clinton-era "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" policy was in effect. Previously, LGBTQ+ people weren’t allowed to join the military at all.
The Clinton administration policy advised that no questions could be asked about sexual orientation of those in the military, but those in service couldn’t say anything about it, either, Norton said.
“You have to be careful what you say and who you say it to, and where you go,” she said. “A dishonorable discharge is not easy."
Since 1994, thousands of service members have been dishonorably discharged, according to the Human Rights Campaign. After millions of emails and letters to Congress, the Obama administration repealed the policy in 2011.
“For me, integrity is a big deal,” Norton said. “It’s how I was raised, and also it was a big part of the military service ... That's a hard thing to reconcile when you know that just who you are is technically based on policy operating outside of integrity.”
Jacqueline Parrish, an LGBTQ+ veteran care coordinator at the VA Medical Center and a queer veteran who served in the Air Force from 1985 to 1993, said LGBTQ+ people join the military for the same reasons and have the same sense of duty and patriotism as anybody else.
“You need to know your comrade has your back,” she said. “And that doesn’t go down gender lines or sexual lines or anything like that. You have to be able to trust the people you’re with. And there’s no evidence at all that suggests that LGBTQ veterans are not going to have your back.”
After the service, Norton said she didn’t identify as a veteran for almost two years.
“It didn't seem relevant, and because I couldn't explore (LGBTQ+) aspect of my identity the whole time I was serving, that was the priority,” she said. “But I still needed a doctor. I still needed healthcare really bad.”
It wasn’t until Norton connected with other veterans and learned the services that were available for her.
She also said veterans who were dishonorably discharged because of their orientation or gender identity can access resources and have their discharge upgraded.
“Veterans don’t realize that they’re eligible for health care, because they may have been discharged under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, or even before that, so it’s important that we reach them,” Parrish said. “If they're entitled to the healthcare, then they should be using it. It's important that they know this is available to them and that the VA supports them ... We serve all veterans; we serve all who served.”
Parrish said VA Medical Center offers different services for people from 35 counties. For example, VA can set up transgender veterans with an endocrinologist for hormone therapy or help with other gender-affirming care.
Norton and Parrish said other available resources for veterans include:
- Michigan Veteran Affairs Agency
- Veteran Service Officer in almost every county
- Great Lakes Bay Veterans Coalition
- Great Lakes Bay Pride
“I want everybody that served to feel comfortable being able to identify as a veteran and access the resources and benefits that they earned,” Norton said. “Also to create spaces that recognize the diversity of the veteran population, so that you don't have to pick and choose. I can be both. I can be a woman veteran (and) I can be queer.”
