NORMAN - An openly gay woman who tried Wednesday to enlist in the Army at a Norman recruiting office said she knew before she went what would happen, but that didn't stop her from trying.
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"I am aware of the Army's 'don't ask, don't tell' policy, but I don't agree with it. I want to serve my country, but I am not willing to hide who I am in order to do so," said Nichole Rawls, 27, of Shawnee.
Rawls said she and a group of supporters chose a Norman recruiting station at 3625 W Main St. for her enlistment effort because they thought University of Oklahoma students might join a planned protest.
The protest was cut short when a police officer arrived and told them they could be arrested if they stayed at the office after being asked to leave.
"We were treated with respect, but I was saddened that the recruitment officer didn't know about the Military Readiness Enhancement Bill, a bill now in Congress," said supporter Pamela Disel of Shawnee.
If approved, the bill would replace "don't ask, don't tell" with a policy of nondiscrimination.
Rawls' enlistment attempt was part of a "Right to Serve" campaign organized by Soulforce, a national youth organization supporting gay rights. People in about 30 cities are participating in the campaign.
Rawls said her attempt to enlist was more than a protest of the current military policy. Serving her country has been a dream of hers for about four years.
Her grandfather, Clifford L. Roberts of Shawnee, was a Green Beret and a member of the Golden Knights elite parachute team. He served five tours of duty in Vietnam.
"It's a family thing. I wanted to follow in his footsteps," Rawls said.
Rawls' grandmother, Jacqueline Roberts of Shawnee, accompanied her granddaughter to the Norman office. Roberts said her husband was "very supportive" of Rawls' desire to join the military but died last April before he could help her in the current campaign.
Rebecca Harlow of Oklahoma City said she served seven years in the military before being discharged with a disability.
"I had to lie on a daily basis about who I was, and there was a sergeant who suspected I was gay who treated me badly. He would lose my paperwork and do anything he could to give me a hard time," Harlow said.
Harlow said she joined the protest because she doesn't want other women who want to join the military to go through what she did.
