The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled May 21 that Air Force Maj. Margaret Witt, can continue her legal battle against the military, who dismissed her for being in a lesbian relationship.
The appeals court decided that the government may only ‘intrude upon the personal and private lives of homosexuals’ to ‘advance an important governmental interest,’ such as improving morale, according to CNN.com.
Witt was discharged from the military after a career of almost two decades when personnel discovered that she had a six-year relationship with another woman.
According to a statement released by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Washington state, Witt said that she is ‘thrilled by the court’s recognition that I can’t be discharged without proving that I was harmful to morale.’
Kevin Cathcart, executive director of Lambda Legal, released a statement in which he said, ‘We extend congratulations to Major Margaret Witt and her counsel, the ACLU and James Lobsenz [part of the ACLU legal team], on [the] Ninth Circuit ruling. We are pleased with the decision, which is a step in the right direction towards full equality for LGBT service members in the U.S armed forces.’