When Ben-Shalom’s commander asked her “are you a homosexual”, she responded with characteristic candour “well the word for me would be lesbian. With a dry laugh she recalls she was told there was “no space for baby killers and GI Janes in the women’s movement.” Undeterred, Ben-Shalom enlisted in the 84th Training Division and became one of the first two female drill sergeants to graduate. When Ben-Shalom joined the military in 1974 protests against the Vietnam war were in full-swing in the midst of the counter cultural revolution, pledging to protect America was not a popular move with her fellow left-leaning feminists. I spoke with her about coming out as lesbian on television in the 1970s, her battle against the US military and the pioneering work she does today to protect the rights of women and girls. Miriam Ben-Shalom is what Americans would call ‘a badass.’ Everything about her is direct at 72 her gaze is unwavering, her opinions clear and it seems prudent to assume her aim with a hunting rifle is still sharp. For International Women’s Day this Monday, Jo Bartosch spoke to Ben-Shalom about her military career and her campaigning for the rights of women and girls.
Army after she was discharged in 1976 for being gay. Miriam Ben-Shalom is the first openly lesbian service member to be reinstated by the U.S.
