I was born in Fairbanks Alaska on December 29th, 1973. My family moved to Northern California where I grew up. In 1992 I was about to graduate Rancho Cotati High School and go into college, but I knew I was not ready nor did I have any of the discipline needed for college life, so after talking with both my parents and my tennis coach, I decided that I would join the Army for a 2 year enlistment
In 1992 I attended basic training and Advanced Individual Training at Ft. Sill, OK. Afterwards I was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division. While assigned to the 101st I attended both Airborne and Air Assault school. Before I knew it my enlistment time was up. I knew that I had found something I was good at and loved, and even at the young age of 20, I could see myself making a career out of the military, so I re-enlisted for 4 more years. I was promoted within the 2 years from Private E-1 up to specialist. In 1994 I was assigned to 1st Armor Division in Giessen Germany. I found living in Germany to be very rewarding and it was here where I “came out”. I found that even though my commanders knew I was gay, they really did not seem to care because I was a very professional soldier, but I think maybe because I was gay I felt I had more to prove than anyone else and to help dispel the gay sterotype.
In the winter of 1995 I as assigned to a special NATO task force, along with 30 other American soldiers. Our mission was to deploy to Bosnia-Herzegovina to supply fire support for a Swedish Battalion that was patrolling the “ZOS” (Zone of Separation), basically the front lines of the terrible conflict. I spent my 21st birthday watching tracer rounds fly overhead and explosions in the background. My time in Bosnia was a wake-up call in so many ways. We would go on patrol and drive through towns that look like they could be right out of any state in the USA, but it would be completely empty and later we would find out all the men had been forced to leave and the women and children taking outside of the town and shot. This is just one example of the atrocities that I witnessed, but also I found that because this was such a demanding mission my maturity had grown. As time went by we could start to see improvements, even to the point where the local children began to go to school by the next fall. I spent almost a year in Bosnia, it changed me in many ways as and maybe not all for the better, I was a much more serious person and the realization that the world was a much bigger place and a lot more complex.
I came back from Bosnia in 1997, and was given almost 6 months of leave; I took this time to explore Europe. I visited all the major cities and enjoyed both their cultural highlights and their nightlife. This gave a very wide perspective of people and the world, having just witnessed humanity at its worse and now I was staring at beautiful artwork and witnessing what man can do when he puts his differences aside and works with his fellow man. After my leave I was sent to the Non Commission Officer Academy where I graduated in the top 10% of my class.
After the academy, I was assigned to a unit that was going to Kosovo for peace keeping duty. My tour in Kosovo was spent more in the rear as to being in the front lines again, and mostly teaching what I had learned in Bosnia to the soldiers who would be deployed to dangerous locations. When I returned from Kosovo I was promoted to Sergeant and I re-enlisted for another 4 years of military service as I still believed I would make it a career. I also began being even more involved with the gay community in Frankfort, including marching in their Gay Pride parade. I was still “out” and found that as long as I was a professional soldier no one cared who or what I slept with.
In 1998 I was assigned back to FT. Sill to be a part of Training Command, training new recruits. This was my first assignment over the past 8 years that I did not feel comfortable about being “out” and had to hide it. Even though I was not “out” on base, I was still active in my community including getting involved with the Miss Gay America system as at the time it was a very big deal in Oklahoma City, also helping out with different fundraisers. In 1999 I was finding that for the first time I was having some issues with being gay and in the Military, but I was planning on sticking it out as it was all I had known since I was 18, but I was presented with a opportunity to retire early, remember its 1999 and everyone loves us, no national threat and especially pre 9-11, so I took early retirement and moved back to the San Francisco Bay area.
So in2000 I returned to the San Francisco Bay area and being the transition to being a civilian and for the first time being a member of a community. I took a job with a great company and also started working with Sonoma County AIDS network and a new group that I helped to get off the ground called Face to Face, it was intended to reach out to youth between the age of 16-21, who might not be into the bar scenes because of their age but were still sexually active. I was also asked to be on the Sonoma County HIV/AIDS education advisory committee, this was a committee of people who would review and either approve or disapprove any education materials that were to be published in public.
It was in 2000 that I was introduced to the Imperial Court system I found that the more events I attended the more interested I became, I liked that I was seeing people having a good time as well as making a impact in the community, also at this time I decided to go back to college and started attending Santa Rosa Junior College at night as well as Sonoma State University on weekends. I continued to attend coronations and would volunteer when I had time free, but between school and work I was pretty busy. In 2003 I begin a relationship with my current husband Tiger Lily, through her I became very active not only with the Imperial Court but also the Leather family and the Gay Rodeo, volunteering to work events and showing up to support the organizations at their events.
In 2006 I left my employment with OneLegal and begin working for Shorenstein. The Shorenstein’s have a very long history with the Democratic Party and through them I became more involved with politics and became active with the local Democratic Party. At the same time I had finished up with school and had a lot more time to dedicate to volunteering and working with the Imperial Court. In 2007 I was given the honor of a permanent title with the San Francisco Imperial Court and in June 2008 I was nominated to represent San Francisco Imperial court as it’s representative to the ICC Parliament. In 2009 Her Majesty Nicole the Great asked me to assume the position of Prime Minister of her Majesties Parliament, a position I still hold to this day. Being Prime Minster has been a challenge, one that I am happy that I have accepted as I have come to realize just how much of a difference the International Court System could really make and am happy to be a part of this great organization and look forward to continue serving in any pomposity that the organization needs.
