Captain James K. Dressel (October 14, 1943 – March 24, 1992) was an Air Force pilot, and a

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

politician in the 1970s and early 1980s. Although he was a conservative Republican, in 1983 he co-sponsored the state's first bill to protect gay and lesbian people from discrimination in employment and housing. He was profiled in Randy Shilts' book ''

Conduct Unbecoming Conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman (or conduct unbecoming for short) is an offense that is subject to court martial in the armed forces of some nations. Use in the United Kingdom The phrase was used as a charge in courts martial of ...

'' in the chapter "Heroes".

Biography

Dressel was born in Holland, Michigan, to German and Dutch parents, and raised in the

United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelical ...

. He graduated from Hope College in 1967, then enlisted in the

air force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...

. Beginning in 1970, he served a tour of duty in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

, piloting fighter jets and bombing enemy supply runs from a base in

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

, receiving the Distinguished Flying Cross and other decorations. Following his military service, he became a member of the

Air National Guard The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the ter ...

and began a career in politics as a Republican. He was elected to the Ottawa County Commission, and served as county treasurer before being elected to the

Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2010 ...

in 1978, serving the 95th District. Although he was a conservative

Goldwater Republican Barry Morris Goldwater (January 2, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was an American politician and United States Air Force officer who was a five-term U.S. Senator from Arizona (1953–1965, 1969–1987) and the Republican Party nominee for presiden ...

, he cooperated with Democratic legislators on programs to aid the city of

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

and other practical issues facing the state. He surprised his constituents in October 1983 by co-sponsoring House Bill 5000, an amendment to the state's

Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act The Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, or Public Act 453 of 1976, prohibits discrimination in Michigan on the basis of "religion, race, color, national origin, age, sex, height, weight, familial status, or marital status" in employment, housing, ed ...

to prohibit discrimination based on "

sexual orientation Sexual orientation is an enduring pattern of romantic or sexual attraction (or a combination of these) to persons of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or to both sexes or more than one gender. These attractions are generall ...

" in employment and housing. A 40-year-old bachelor, he was subsequently speculated to be gay, but refused at the time to confirm or deny it, citing the principle he was trying to demonstrate: that it shouldn't matter. He was soundly defeated in the Republican

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for re-election in 1984, by a candidate he had easily out-polled in the previous primary. He was later somewhat more open about his homosexuality, and became active in advocating civil rights protection for gay and lesbian people, including a stint leading the Michigan Organization for Human Rights. He died of

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

-related

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

in 1992, at the age of 48. The Michigan Legislature passed a resolution honoring him upon his death.

References

1943 births 1992 deaths AIDS-related deaths in Michigan American LGBT military personnel United States Air Force personnel of the Vietnam War Gay politicians American LGBT rights activists LGBT state legislators in Michigan Republican Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives Hope College alumni Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) 20th-century American politicians Gay military personnel 20th-century American LGBT people {{Michigan-politician-stub