 Today's military is open to people from all walks of life, with different cultures, backgrounds, and beliefs. But this wasn't always the case for members of the LGBT community. It's a lot of different people from a lot of different places. So I don't know, I kind of just expected a lot of backlash. When Curtis joined the Navy, she didn't have very high hopes for a bunch of strangers, since she had problems coming out to her own family. I get into it a lot with my parents. My mom is very religious, and she's not with all that. So we kind of just butt heads a lot. My brothers were not accepting at all. Eventually, her family accepted her for who she was, but Curtis said her Navy family has supported her from day one. I think everyone that I have came across are cool with me, just being me. You're just yourself, and as long as you're cool, that's all that matters. Every day, sailors like Curtis use their unique perspective and experiences to make the United States military better than it was the day before. Petty Officer Aaron Spirly, Masawa Air Base, Japan.