He sues again, but the district court votes to uphold the decision. 1993 Justin Elzie, honored as Marine of the Year in 1989, comes out on ABC's World News Tonight on January 29. The Marine Corps, which had already approved the sergeant for discharge in April 1993 under an early-separations program that includes a benefits package, now recommends that he be discharged immediately without pension benefits. In October, however, a federal court orders Elzie's reinstatement pending settlement of his lawsuit against the corps. So I went on a speaking tour, and it was incredible to see the groundswell of support for our issue.
Discharge hearings begin that year, and a board recommends a general discharge.
The expulsion takes effect in December 1995 and is upheld in appellate court. Kevin Blaesing, a Marine Corps corporal, is discharged in December and joins inactive ranks after being outed by a Navy psychologist to whom he had posed questions about homosexuality. The following spring Blaesing gives a speech at a gay pride parade and is discharged again. Though many individuals in the Navy are supportive of his case, he is dismissed in 1996 after internal and external appeals. The Supreme Court has denied his request that it review the case.