Join us for an exciting night with author,
Dorian Rhea Debussy, as she discusses
The Lavender Bans
with Cathy Marcello
To be held at Solid State Books on H St. NE
Tickets available here!
There is a long history of discrimination against LGBTQ+ people in the American military and intelligence services, from vice squad stings during World War I to the “Lavender Scare” of the early Cold War through “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and the Trump administration’s transgender ban. How have the rationales for anti-LGBTQ+ policies changed over time? When and why did these policies shift? What does anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination reveal about the US military, American political institutions, and broader themes in queer history?
The Lavender Bans is a comprehensive account of the evolution of anti-LGBTQ+ policies from World War I to the present. Dorian Rhea Debussy—a leading expert on LGBTQ+ history in the US military—examines six distinct periods of exclusion over the course of a century, tracing continuities and changes alongside the growth of the national security state. Bringing together interdisciplinary scholarship and close analysis of archival documents, she offers new insights into the policies affecting LGBTQ+ people in the armed forces.
Meticulously researched and rich in detail, The Lavender Bans sheds light on a long and troubling history—with deep contemporary relevance as exclusion of transgender people continues. It is an engaging, important, and timely book for a range of readers, including scholars, students, policy makers, military personnel, and people affected by anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination.
Dorian Rhea Debussy is the director of external affairs at Equitas Health. A nationally recognized expert in LGBTQ+ politics, she specializes in healthcare and defense policy. Debussy is a lecturer in women’s, gender, and sexuality studies at the Ohio State University.
Cathy Marcello is the Program Director at SPARTA Pride, a leading nonprofit organization supporting transgender service members, veterans, and their families. In this role, she leads the development of the SPARTA Families Program, a new initiative focused on supporting and advocating for military families with transgender youth and the partners and parents of transgender service members and veterans, with a particular emphasis on DoD policy.
An army brat and veteran spouse, Cathy has spent more than 15 years advocating for LGBTQ+ military youth and their families. Her advocacy began through her own experience navigating and shaping military systems that had yet to establish protocols for transgender youth. Prior to joining SPARTA Pride in 2026, Cathy held multiple leadership roles at Modern Military Association of America, including Interim Executive Director and Senior Vice President of Advocacy and Training, where she led national advocacy and programmatic efforts impacting LGBTQ+ service members and their families.
Cathy has been a trusted voice in advancing policy and awareness for military-connected LGBTQ+ youth and their families, working with stakeholders across the Department of Defense and on Capitol Hill. She holds a BA in Archaeology and Anthropology and lives in Washington, DC.