The Road to 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'Joseph Steffan was among the students who had similar experiences to Neira and Hall.
Steffan was forced to resign in April 1987 — two months before his graduation — after academy officials learned he was gay. According to a 1989 story in the Philadelphia Gay News, he said his father did not immediately accept his sexuality."It was my father's dream, my going to the academy," Steffan said at the time. "He was very crushed, hysterical with me over the phone.
I was afraid he'd have a nervous breakdown.""But he's turned around 180 degrees," he added. "It's just a process of learning."Steffan sued the Department of Defense and asked for reinstatement, but he ended up losing the legal battle in 1994.