Court of Claims, which upheld the dismissal on grounds that his sexual orientation in a government job would inevitably make the agency less efficient.
He appealed his firing for “immoral and indecent conduct” to the U.S. Schlegel was fired in July 1961 from a civilian job with the Army’s transportation office in Hawaii after his sexual activities surfaced during an investigation to qualify for a top secret clearance. “There were very few leaders, if you will, at that time - people who were willing to stick their neck out and actually have their name known.” He was the driving force behind the application to honor Schlegel. “He is certainly an important figure in the context of Pennsylvania,” said Barry Loveland, chair of the history project at the LGBT Center of Central Pennsylvania.
