Perry Watkins, American soldier, and activist, born in 1948, was drafted at the age of 19, to serve during the Vietnam War. Presumably a proud gay man, he was truthful on his pre-induction paperwork, even though the United States barred gay men and women from the military at that time. During his service, Watkins was often harassed and investigated for his sexual orientation, but was allowed to remain in the Army, received honorable discharges, and was permitted to reenlist on three separate occasions. His legal battles with the military continued through his career until his permanent dismissal in 1984, at the end of his enlistment. Watkins fought the discharge and, in 1988 the federal court of appeals ruled in his favor, and in 1990 the US Supreme Court upheld the decision. Instead of reinstatement, he settled for a retroactive promotion, honorable discharge, back pay and full retirement benefits. In his later years, Watkins felt betrayed by gay and lesbian advocates who never included his story when speaking of openly gay men and women in the military, noting the racism within the gay community. His life was depicted in the 1994 documentary, SIS: The Perry Watkins Story. Watkins died in March 1996, at the age of 47, from AIDS-related complications.
To learn more about Perry Watkins, visit:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perry_Watkins
https://makinggayhistory.com/podcast/perry-watkins/
https://lgbthistorymonth.com/perry-watkins?tab=biography