In 1952, Harvey Milk – who would go on to become one of the most important leaders of the American LGBTQ rights movement – was commissioned as an Ensign in the U.S. Navy. The next year he was promoted to Lieutenant (junior grade).
His military career was soon to come to a close, however. In December 1954, Milk was questioned by Special Agents of the Office of Naval Intelligence for “suspected homosexual conduct.”
In a signed statement the next month, Milk acknowledged that he had been sexually intimate with a number of men. He submitted this resignation from the Navy under “other than honorable conditions” recognizing that he could “expect to encounter substantial prejudice in civilian life….”
In a performance evaluation just prior to the Navy investigation, Milk had been deemed excellent and efficient.
