Air Force lesbian who won reinstatement retiring
Published 2:16 pm Tuesday, May 10, 2011
SEATTLE — An Air Force Reserve flight nurse from Washington state who sued to overturn her dismissal under “don’t ask don’t tell” is retiring with full benefits rather than resuming service.
Maj. Margaret Witt announced her decision Tuesday at a news conference with the American Civil Liberties Union in Seattle.
A federal judge ruled last fall that Witt’s dismissal violated her constitutional rights. The judge ordered that she be reinstated.
Witt’s lawyers and the government spent several months negotiating her reinstatement before finally reaching an agreement to let her retire. Her discharge will be erased from her records.
Witt was dismissed in 2006 after serving 18 years. She now works as a rehabilitation coordinator at the VA hospital in Spokane.
