Laura Heller

She was on the front lines of the battle for LGBTQ equal rights since her teenage years, but by the age of 29, Laura Heller “traded those front lines for those of a more literal type.” She joined the U.S. Army. As an active duty soldier during the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” years, she found herself having to go back into the closet in order to pursue her “lofty goals” of being a “progressive advocate for the rule of law” as an Army lawyer. Heller’s specialization in Operational Law and Detainee Operations took her to Guantanamo, Baghdad, and Bagram. All the while, she had to walk a fine line between being herself and protecting her job. “More often than not, I worked harder than I had to, to ensure that I never gave any commander, supervising attorney, or client a reason to question my credibility or counsel,” she says. “It was likely apparent to all of them that I was a lesbian, but they trusted and respected me.” Heller has since transitioned into the civilian world, first as an administrative law attorney at the U.S. Military Academy West Point, and later as a teacher and mentor to students of International Relations and Global Studies. When students ask her how she served in the military under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” “I explain that personal sacrifice of all types is demanded in many professions, especially those that aim for aspirational ideals.” Heller is proud that she never changed her appearance or the way she acted in order to fit in. She was taking her own advice, which she gives students to this day: “Know yourself and be yourself.” —SEJ