Born on May 3, 1948 in Waukesha, Wisconsin, Miriam Ben-Shalom attended Catholic Memorial
and graduated from East Troy Community High School in 1967. She married for a short time and
had a daughter. After moving to Israel in 1968, Ben-Shalom converted to Judaism and changed
her name. Upon returning to the United States in the early 1970s, Ben-Shalom returned to
Wisconsin and completed both her B.A. and M.A. at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. In
1974, she began serving in the 84th Army Reserves Training Division. She also completed
drill instructors school, becoming one of the first two female drill sergeants in the
division. During this time, she became openly involved in the local gay rights movement and
lesbian-feminist organizations. In late 1975, she publicly expressed her sexual identity as
a lesbian, and was subsequently discharged from the Army Reserves. Her suit for
reinstatement was heard by the U.S. District Court in Chicago, which ruled that ruled that
Ben-Shalom's discharge violated the First, Fifth, and Ninth Amendments of the Constitution.
The U.S. Army appealed the decision, then withdrew its appeal and simply refused to comply
with the order. In 1987, the U.S. Court of Appeals in Chicago supported the lower court's
ruling, and in September 1988 Ben-Shalom was reinstated. The Army appealed the decision and
in August 1989 a federal appeals court ruled against Ben-Shalom. Ben-Shalom then appealed
her case to the U.S. Supreme Court. This body declined to hear her case and let stand the
previous court's ruling, effectively ending Ben-Shalom's military career. In following
years, Ben-Shalom remained active in gay and lesbian politics, forming the Gay, Lesbian, and
Bisexual Veterans Association (now known as American Veterans for Equal Rights). She has
received several awards for her community activism, and published poetry, short stories, and
other writing.
