Lisa Sue Kove (born 1958) is an American civil servant and disabled retired combat veteran, a

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

, corporate executive, and a United States

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...

activist. She is the executive director of the Department of Defense Federal Glove.

Early life, military and education

Kove grew up in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, the daughter of prominent attorney Myron Kove. She dropped out of college at the age of 17 to join the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

. Kove served in HM 12 and RH-53D squadron that supported HM-16 in the

Iran Hostage Crisis On November 4, 1979, 52 United States diplomats and citizens were held hostage after a group of militarized Iranian college students belonging to the Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line, who supported the Iranian Revolution, took over t ...

. During the rescue mission known as

Operation Eagle Claw Operation Eagle Claw, known as Operation Tabas ( fa, عملیات طبس) in Iran, was a failed operation by the United States Armed Forces ordered by U.S. President Jimmy Carter to attempt the rescue of 52 embassy staff held captive at the ...

Kove broke her back but ignored the pain and continued to serve until she was honorably discharged in 1982 as a service-related disabled veteran. Kove later returned to college, where she earned a degree in logistics and management from

Park University Park University is a private university in Parkville, Missouri. It was founded in 1875. In the fall of 2017, Park had an enrollment of 11,457 students. History The school which was originally called Park College was founded in 1875 by John A. ...

Corporate career

Following her stint in the United States Navy Kove worked for

Kaman Aerospace Kaman Corporation is an American aerospace company, with headquarters in Bloomfield, Connecticut. It was founded in 1945 by Charles Kaman. During the first ten years the company operated exclusively as a designer and manufacturer of several hel ...

, followed by Aeronautical Radio, Incorporated (ARINC), and later as a

Department of Defense Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philippin ...

civil servant in the Washington, D.C. beltway. Following the implementation of '

Don't Ask, Don't Tell "Don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) was the official United States policy on military service of non-heterosexual people, instituted during the Clinton administration. The policy was issued under Department of Defense Directive 1304.26 on December ...

', the official United States policy on service by gays and lesbians in the military instituted by the Clinton Administration on February 28, 1994, when Department of Defense Directive 1304.26 issued on December 21, 1993, took effect, Kove, who had been an out lesbian for years, soon became the subject of sexual orientation harassment. This harassment increased as her 13-year relationship to her partner came to an end. In 1997 her partner drafted legal paperwork crafted to go to an office outside of Kove's chain of command with the intent to expose, embarrass and have her fired from the Department of Defense job under 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'. Concerned for her personal safety, Kove moved with her five children into a domestic abuse shelter, then later took orders to San Diego, California to distance herself from her former partner. Upon her arrival to San Diego, her commanding officer refused to let her on base due to her sexuality. Kove was eventually allowed to work, but she faced years of harassment until a co-worker stood up for her, resulting in the resignation of her commanding officer. Since 2008 Kove has served as the executive director of the Department of Defense Federal Globe.

Child support case

In 1998 Kove filed one of the first child support suits in the nation for children born to same-sex couples. The

Superior Court of Pennsylvania The Superior Court of Pennsylvania is one of two Pennsylvania intermediate appellate courts (the other being the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania). It is based in Harrisburg. Jurisdiction The Superior Court hears appeals in criminal and most ...

affirmed that Kove's former lesbian partner must pay support for the five children Kove bore during their relationship.

Community involvement

Kove was instrumental in the 2010 Coalition to Repeal

Proposition 8 Proposition 8, known informally as Prop 8, was a California ballot proposition and a constitutional amendment, state constitutional amendment intended to ban same-sex marriage; it passed in the California state elections, November 2008, Novem ...

, the

California ballot proposition In California, a ballot proposition is a referendum or an initiative measure that is submitted to the electorate for a direct decision or direct vote (or plebiscite). If passed, it can alter one or more of the articles of the Constitution of Cal ...

and a

state constitutional amendment A constitutional amendment is a modification of the constitution of a polity, organization or other type of entity. Amendments are often interwoven into the relevant sections of an existing constitution, directly altering the text. Conversely, t ...

that passed in the

November 2008 California state elections The California state elections, November 2008 were held on November 4, 2008 throughout California. Among the elections taking place were those for the office of President of the United States, all the seats of California's delegation to the House ...

banning same-sex marriage. Kove also currently serves on several large non-profit nationally based governing boards, including on the board of the Equality News Network. She was Strategic Planning Director for the San Diego Equality Campaign during the contentious Proposition 8 battle in 2008, and Kove was a founding member of the San Diego Alliance for Marriage Equality. Kove also served on Lori Saldana's, former member of the

California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The A ...

from the 76th Assembly district, Hate Free San Diego Commission as she consulted with representatives of San Diego businesses to foster programs to end hate crimes. From 2010-2013 Kove was also a voting member of the San Diego LGBT Center's Community Leadership Council. Kove has received numerous honors due to her community outreach, including a People's Mic Award from

KNSJ KNSJ is a community radio station operating in the San Diego area on 89.1 MHz. It began airing on July 4, 2013. Content includes locally produced programs as well as news and information from the BBC and Pacifica Radio. Spanish-language programm ...

, being named Outstanding Woman of the Year in 2011 by the Nicky Awards, and she was inducted in 2012 into The San Diego LGBT Community Center Benjamin F. Dillingham and Bridge Wilson LGBT Veterans Wall of Honor. Kove has also been featured in OutServe Magazine.

Notes

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kove, Lisa Sue LGBT people from Massachusetts American LGBT rights activists American lesbians People from San Diego Living people 1958 births Activists from California