A lesbian member of the West Virginia Air National Guard is suing the military after she was passed over for two promotions following her male superior's allegedly sexist and homophobic comments, which included asking another woman to coach her on appearing more 'feminine.'
Kristin M. Kingrey, 37, is tall, has short hair and doesn't wear jewelry or makeup, according to a lawsuit filed against the Army and Air Force in November.
She joined the Air National Guard in 2007 and was allegedly hired for a civilian human resources position while she was still deployed in Qatar around 2019.
When she returned to the US, she learned that her superior - Vice Wing Commander Col. Michael Cadle - had asked a female lieutenant colonel to 'counsel and encourage [her] to grow her hair, begin using makeup and to ultimately appear more feminine,' the lawsuit sates.
The job offer was withdrawn and another application went nowhere. Meanwhile, she allegedly endured more harassment, such as rumors that she was transitioning from female to male and retaliation for filing a formal complaint.
Kingrey still works at the same base in Charleston, West Virginia with the same superiors and the case could take as long as two years to work its way through the court, according to the Daily Beast. The West Virginia National Guard says it hired an outside firm that determined no discrimination or harassment took place.
Kristin M. Kingrey, 37, says she has been 'frequently harassed for the length of her hair' and was passed up for a job after a superior made inappropriate comments about her look
Kingrey is suing the Army and Air Force, which operate the West Virginia Air National Guard base she works in. Her lawsuit says she is 'often perceived as masculine in nature'
Col. Michael O. Cadle (above) allegedly told a female colleague to encourage Kingrey to grow her hair and wear makeup so her career wouldn't suffer before a job offer was withdrawn
Kingrey filed her lawsuit in the Southern District of West Virginia on November 23.
The lawsuit names Christine Wormuth, the secretary of the Army, and Frank Kendall, secretary of the Air Force. Both branches run the National Guard and the base Kingrey works in.
The 14-year veteran is asking for the National Guard to appoint her to the position she was initially offered, along with back pay and compensatory damages.
The 19-page complaint details a number of discriminatory acts that she tried to 'endure and tolerate' before filing an Equal Employment Opportunity Complaint in October 2020 and, eventually, a lawsuit.
Kingrey was deployed to Qatar between August 2018 and March 2019. She had previously been deployed to Iraq in 2009, where she served with Navy SEALs, according to the West Virginia Gazette Mail.
She says her problems began recently, seeing as there was little time for any issues to arise when she was deployed and troops returned to their bunks exhausted.
She was offered, and accepted, a position as a Human Resource Specialist in January 2019, while she was still deployed, but when she returned to West Virginia, she learned of a meeting that Col. Cadle had with Lt. Col. Kelly Ambrose.
Kingrey told the Daily Beast that Cadle told Ambrose 'to grow my hair out and start wearing makeup because if I didn't it would be detrimental to my career in the West Virginia Air National Guard.
'I had heard of other females with short hair having issues with people saying things, but I don't know that progressed to the extent mine did.'
The lawsuit states that Kingrey is 'often perceived as masculine in nature.'
Lt. Col. Ambrose was 'completely appalled and angered' by Col. Cadle's comments, Kingrey told Daily Beast. 'She knew I was within regulations and did not understand why this was so important. When I found out about the comment, I was truly disheartened and disturbed.'
The lawsuit, filed in November in federal court, says Kingrey has been told her short hair violates regulations
It also alleges that someone began a rumor that Kingrey was transitioning to be a man
The lawsuit states Kingrey got so many complaints about her hair being 'too short' that she started, and continues to, carry the Air Force rules around with her to prove she's not in violation.
Kingrey was also allegedly forced to try on a women's Honor Guard jacket in front of others to 'confirm that none of the women's sizes would fit.'
'This is about what they think a lesbian female should look like,' Kingrey told the Daily Beast.
'It leaves me in such disbelief. They have made this my life. Whenever I discuss it I am at a loss for words. It was a completely unacceptable comment, and a completely unacceptable situation.'
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