- Zoe Dunning
-
Maria Zoe Dunning Birth name Maria Zoe Dunning Allegiance United States of America Service/branch United States Navy Years of service 1981-2007 Rank Commander Maria Zoe Dunning is a U. S. Naval Academy graduate and gay rights activist. She is the first and only openly gay person allowed to remain on active duty in the military prior to the end of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy.
Contents
Biography
Commander Zoe Dunning, SC, USNR (Ret.) was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She was nominated to the United States Naval Academy by her Congressman James Sensenbrenner and graduated with the Class of 1985[1] with a Bachelors of Science Degree. After graduation from Annapolis, she was commissioned an Ensign in the Navy Supply Corps. After attending Navy Supply Corps School in Athens, Georgia, she was assigned to the USS Lexington homeported in Pensacola, FL.
At the end of her obligated active duty service, she transferred into the United States Navy Reserve and attended Stanford Graduate School of Business in Palo Alto, California.
Commander Dunning retired from the Navy Reserve after 22 years of service as a commissioned officer in a ceremony on board the USS Hornet (CV12) in Alameda, California.[2]
On December 22, 2010, Commander Dunning stood beside President Barack Obama as he signed the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010.[3]
Discharge proceedings
In January 1993, while a student at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, she announced her homosexuality at a rally in support of Petty Officer Keith Meinhold.[4] Meinhold acknowledged his gay status on ABC's World News Tonight on May 19, 1992.[5]
On June 10, 1993, a three-member Navy administrative board recommended that she be honorably discharged despite arguments that the action violated a Federal judge's ruling the previous winter.[4]
In December 1994, another three-member Navy administrative board met at Treasure Island and unanimously agreed with Dunning's argument that her public statement "I am a lesbian" did not violate Don't Ask, Don't Tell.[6]
In a letter dated May 24, 1995, the Chief of Naval Personnel wrote Dunning, "Your administrative separation case proceedings are closed, and you will be retained in the Naval Service," ending a two year battle.[6] She was represented by Morrison & Foerster.
LGBT activism
She served as the Co-Chair of the Governing Board of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) from its founding in 1993 until 1998, and again from 2006 to the present.
In November, 2003, she was one of thirty five LGBT alumni of the Naval Academy who petitioned the USNA Alumni Association[7] for special status as a non-geographic chapter of the Alumni Association, similar to the association's RV chapter. The initial request was rejected on multiple grounds.[8]
References
- ^ US Naval Academy Register of Alumni (2008)
- ^ Laird, Cynthia (2007/6/7), Out Navy commander retires, Bay Area Reporter, http://ebar.com/news/article.php?sec=news&article=1884, retrieved 2011-1-17
- ^ Bacon, Jr., Perry (2010-12-22), Obama signs DADT repeal before big, emotional crowd, Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/22/AR2010122201888.html, retrieved 2011-1-9
- ^ a b Discharge of Lesbian Urged by Navy Panel, New York Times, 1993-6-11, http://www.nytimes.com/1993/06/11/us/discharge-of-lesbian-urged-by-navy-panel.html?src=pm, retrieved 2011-1-18
- ^ Keith Meinhold, SLDN.org, http://www.sldn.org/pages/speaker-meinhold-keith, retrieved 2011-1-18
- ^ a b Holding, Reynolds (1995-6-16), Navy Quits Trying to Boot Lesbian Officer, San Francisco Chronicle, http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1995/06/16/MN44510.DTL, retrieved 2011-1-18
- ^ USNA Alumni Association
- ^ Naval Academy Alumni Disallow Gay Chapter, Los Angeles Times, 2003-12-06, http://articles.latimes.com/2003/dec/06/nation/na-briefs6.4, retrieved 2010-7-27
Bibliography
- Shilts, Randy (1994/1997/2005). Conduct Unbecoming: Gays and Lesbians in the US Military. ISBN 5-551-97352-2 / ISBN 0-312-34264-0.
See also
- USNA Out
- Sexual orientation and the United States military
Leadership 
Structure Operating ForcesFleet Forces Command · Pacific Fleet · Naval Forces Europe · Naval Forces Central Command · Naval Forces Southern Command · Naval Special Warfare Command · Naval Reserve Forces · Operational Test and Evaluation Force · Naval Network Warfare Command · Military Sealift CommandShore EstablismentsNaval Sea Systems Command · Naval Air Systems Command · Naval Facilities Engineering Command · Naval Supply Systems Command · Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command · Naval Academy · Naval Education and Training Command · Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command · Office of Naval Intelligence · Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center · Naval Security Group Command · Naval Legal Service Command · Naval Observatory · Naval Safety Center · Bureau of Naval Personnel · Bureau of Medicine and SurgeryNumbered fleetsStructureA–B · C · D–F · G–H · I–K · L · M · N–O · P · Q–R · S · T–V · W–Z
Aircraft carriers · Airships · Amphibious warfare ships · Auxiliaries · Battleships · Cruisers · Destroyers · Destroyer escorts · Escort carriers · Frigates · Mine warfare vessels · Monitors · Patrol vessels · Sailing frigates · Steam frigates · Steam gunboats · Ships of the line · Sloops of war · Submarines · Torpedo boatsPersonnel and training People · Officers: Officer insignia / Designators · Enlisted: Enlisted insignia / Ratings / Classification
Hospital Corpsman · Naval Aviator · SEALs · Seabees · SWCCs · Hispanic sailors
Personnel: Chaplain Corps (Chief of Chaplains) · United States Navy EOD · Medical Corps · Dental Corps · Nurse Corps · Medical Service Corps · Supply Corps · Civil Engineer Corps · JAG Corps (JAG) · NCIS · Boatswain's mates
Training: Recruit training · United States Naval Academy · Officer Candidate School · STA-21 · NROTC · BESS · BFTT · CNATT · COMPTUEX · NAWCTSD · Naval Chaplaincy School · Naval Hospital Corps School · Naval Justice School · Naval Postgraduate School · Navy School of Music · Navy Senior Enlisted Academy · Navy Supply Corps School · Naval War College · Nuclear Power School · JMTC · TOPGUN · USNTPS · Uniformed Services University of the Health SciencesEquipment History and traditions History · "Anchors Aweigh" · Blue Angels · Continental Navy · Ensign · Fleet bands · Fleet Week · Jack · Line-crossing ceremony · National Museum · Navy Band · Navy Flag · Navy Hymn · Navy Memorial · Navy service numbers · Sailor's Creed · Ship commissioning · Ship decommissioning · USS Constitution · Wetting-downCategories:- Living people
- United States Naval Academy alumni
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- American LGBT military personnel
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- People from San Francisco, California
- LGBT rights activists from the United States
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