Jen Kopfstein was discharged after she wrote a letter to her commanding officer telling him she was a lesbian. She and 11 other former GIs are now arguing in a federal lawsuit that “don’t ask, don’t tell” violates their constitutional rights.

BOSTON — During her first five years in the Navy, Jen Kopfstein avoided conversations about her personal life, taking the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy seriously.

“I felt like I was being forced to lie and having to be dishonest,” Kopfstein said. “I could never share anything about my family or my home life or even say what I did on the weekend. It is hurtful to do that.”

After she finally wrote a letter to her commanding officer telling him she was a lesbian, she was discharged.

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