That perspective is very familiar to me, having abandoned a national security career in 1990 for fear that my being gay would cost me my security clearance. I was, in a way, one of the last victims of the Lavender Scare.

Progress has been remarkable, though your later cautionary tale about Weimar Germany is so important. Conservative forces in the United States would love to roll progress back, and would do it given any chance.

Vigilance and bravery of the kind you displayed are so needed.