Following her two promotion decisions, her male superior made homophobic remarks and she asked another woman for advice on how to make her more “feminine” in West Virginia Air National Guard, a lesbian female member is sueing the military.
According to the lawsuit against the Army and Air Force filed in November, Kristin M.Kingrey (37) is tall and has short hair. She doesn’t use jewelry or make-up.
According to the suit, she joined the Air National Guard around 2007 and was then employed for a civil human resource position.
When she returned to the US, she learned that her superior – Vice Wing Commander Col. Michael Cadle – had asked a female lieutenant colonel to ‘counsel and encourage [her]”To grow her hair and use makeup to make her look more feminine,” the suit states.
A second application failed to get through. The job opportunity was then withdrawn. The lawsuit claims that the plaintiff was subject to more harassment including rumors about her gender transition and reprisals for filing a formal grievance.
Kingrey is still employed at Charleston’s National Guard base, West Virginia, with the same supervisors. According to Daily Beast, the case may take up to two years for the court to resolve. According to West Virginia National Guard it had hired an outside agency that could verify there was no discrimination and harassment.
Kristin Kingrey (37), says that she was ‘frequently harassed about the length of her hair’. She also lost out on a job because a supervisor made insensitive comments about her appearance.
Kingrey has filed a lawsuit against the Army and Air Force for operating the West Virginia Air National Guard Base she works at. She claims she is often perceived to be masculine by the Air Force and Army.
Col. Michael O. Cadle (above), allegedly encouraged Kingrey’s female colleague to wear makeup and grow her hair before she was offered a job.
Kingrey filed the lawsuit against the Southern District in West Virginia on November 23,
Christine Wormuth is named as the Army secretary and Frank Kendall the Air Force secretary in the suit. Both branches run the National Guard and the base where Kingrey works.
This 14-year-old veteran has asked the National Guard for a vacancy in the same position that was initially offered to her, as well as back pay and compensatory damages.
The 19-page complaint details a number of discriminatory acts that she tried to ‘endure and tolerate’ before filing an Equal Employment Opportunity Complaint in October 2020 and, eventually, a lawsuit.
Kingrey deployed to Qatar in August 2018 and March 2019, according to West Virginia Gazette Mail. According to West Virginia Gazette Mail she had previously been deployed to Iraq in 2009 where she worked with Navy SEALs.
Her problems started recently because she had very little time to deal with them when she deployed.
She was offered, and accepted, a position as a Human Resource Specialist in January 2019, while she was still deployed, but when she returned to West Virginia, she learned of a meeting that Cadle had with Lt. Col. Kelly Ambrose.
Kingrey stated to the Daily Beast that Cadle instructed Ambrose, Kingrey’s hairdresser, to suggest Kingrey to “grow your hair and get into makeup” because it was detrimental to his career with the West Virginia Air National Guard.
“I’d heard about other short-haired females having problems hearing people say things but not to the same extent as mine.
Kingrey was allegedly ‘often perceived to be masculine’ in the lawsuit.
Kingrey said that Ambrose was “completely appalled” and “angered” by Cadle’s remarks. She knew that she was in compliance with regulations but didn’t know why. I felt truly disillusioned and upset when I heard about her comment.
Kingrey claims she was told by federal courts that her long hair contravenes regulations.
Also, it claims Kingrey was transitioning into a man because of rumors.
The lawsuit states Kingrey got so many complaints about her hair being ‘too short’ that she started, and continues to, carry the Air Force rules around with her to prove she’s not in violation.
Kingrey was also said to have been forced to wear a Honor Guard jacket made for women before others in order to prove that the sizes of women would work.
Kingrey explained to The Daily Beast that this is how lesbians think they should dress a female lesbian.
It leaves me speechless. This has been my whole life. It is a topic that I find difficult to discuss. That was an inexcusable comment. It is also an extremely unacceptable situation.
A colleague spread a rumor that Kingrey was changing from male to feminine, according to the lawsuit. Cadle instructed her to meet with the lesbian who believed she started the rumor.
Kingrey continues to work at Charleston’s West Virginia Base with the same supervisors. However, she claims that the case has had a negative impact on her mental and physical health, as well as caused depression.
She replied that she was not familiar with her, and he asked her whether she’d ever had an affair with another woman. He then implied that Plaintiff Kingrey was having a disagreement with the First Sergeant. must be from and/or motivated by a prior intimate relationship as opposed to the First Sgt.’s inappropriate, and discriminatory, comment(s),’ the lawsuit states.
In the spring of 2020, Kingrey got a call that the funding for the job she had accepted had been pulled. According to the lawsuit, 18 months later, Kingrey received a call that her job had been withdrawn and was being filled by another person.
In September 2020, she applied for a HR Specialist position. Even though she received the relevant training, she was not considered a veteran.
In October 2020, she filed an Equal Employment Opportunity claim. She was soon being investigated by Lt. Col. Ambrose for fraternization. This is the woman she claimed told her about Cadle’s remarks.
Her first performance review was also negative.
The military has taught me that men can do everything, and no one blinks when they are doing them. Men go hunting, fish, play golf, vacation with their families, but now we have three female soldiers being investigated for similar offenses. Kingrey said to the Daily Beast that Kingrey found it strange that she was under investigation shortly after I had filed my Equal Employment Opportunity Complaint.
According to Mike Hissam, her lawyer Mike Hissam estimates that the case will take anywhere from 18 to 2 years to complete.
Hissam will draw on the Supreme Court’s 2020 Bostock decision, in which it held that Title VII of Civil Rights Act protections extend to LGBTQ persons.
Kingrey states she was investigated and sent home for “fraternizing” after she filed a complaint.
Hissam said to The Daily Beast, “I believe even without Bostock rulings, this case is viable.”
“Gender discrimination would include issues around hair, makeup and gender conformity before Title VII was created. It’s discrimination on the basis of sex regardless of her sexual orientation. The history surrounding sexual orientation is long.
DailyMail.com did not reach out to the West Virginia Air National Guard for comment. Daily Beast reported that it was investigating the incident.
“The WVNG cannot comment on matters currently in litigation as a matter policy. The WVNG advises an external agency that is responsible for conducting impartial, prompt and fair investigations in cases like this.
“They presented a report that included the facts and found no evidence of discrimination, harassment or other forms of discrimination. The branch stated that they were continuing with the presentation of the facts necessary to solve this case in court.
DailyMail.com asked the Air Force, Army and Navy for their immediate response. According to the Department of Defense, it is not able comment on litigation ongoing.
Kingrey is being treated fairly by the West Virginia National Guard after an independent investigation revealed that there was no discrimination or harassment. Above are WVNG Members at McLaughlin Air National Guard Base Charleston, West Virginia
Kingrey still works at the base, with the same supervisors.
‘The whole thing has made me feel that I don’t belong, and that my career will be hindered,’ she said. “But, I haven’t considered quitting. I am not going to be defeated. They won’t make me give up something I love. I love wearing the uniform each day. My country and my state are dear to me, and they have been my honorable soldiers for more than 14 years.
Inspired by her uncle who served in West Virginia’s Air Force, and later joined the Military at 23.
Her mental health has been suffering lately due to the severity of her case. According to the Daily Beast, she began treatment for depression in the last few months.
“I feel completely alone. This has made me feel less valuable as a member and an asset. It’s very hard mentally, emotionally, and physically,’ she said.
“There were many, many sleepless night because my brain is so busy thinking about all the possibilities. It is only when I return home that I can turn off my heightened level of alertness and vigilance. It’s like a vicious cycle. You can’t escape from this cycle.
She thinks that the National Guard has remained more anti-LGBTQ in its attitudes than other branches despite continuous inclusivity training.
‘There is some homophobia, some ignorance, some people just don’t understand. The National Guard has been a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion over the last three years. This training is all provided. “I am only listening to the conversation, but not watching the action,” she stated.