Michael-Todd Kilmer, MSW
 Michael-Todd,
a former Puget Sound “Sailor of the Year”
in the U.S. Coast Guard, has served as an activist on
the gays-in-the-military issue since 2001. He was the
Founding President of American Veterans for Equal Rights
(AVER) – Puget Sound Chapter, he served as the
Vice President of Strategic Planning for AVER National,
and he supported the 2006 Call to Duty Tour as an advisory
board member. Michael-Todd currently serves as an advisory
board member for the Military Education Initiative (MEI)
and he is an active volunteer for both Servicemembers
Legal Defense Network (SLDN) and Military Community
Services Network (MCSN).
Michael-Todd served nearly 15 years in the U.S. Coast
Guard, beginning in 1987. He re-enlisted twice and was
awarded two Coast Guard Achievement Medals, the Coast
Guard Commendation Medal and multiple other awards for
his superior performance, including being named “Sailor
of the Year” for the Puget Sound Area. Michael-Todd
decided, in 2001, that integrity propelled him to be
honest about his sexual identity. He “came out”
for reasons of integrity that same year. His command
began discharge proceedings just two days following
the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Kilmer was
officially dismissed from the Coast Guard, with an honorable
discharge, on March 6, 2002.
As a clinical social worker, Michael-Todd currently
works in mental health with a focus on trauma. He holds
a Master of Social Work (M.S.W.), with a mental health
concentration, from the University of Washington and
a BA in Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, with minors
in: Environmental Studies and Nonprofit Management from
the University of Washington – Tacoma.
Michael-Todd Kilmer, who was discharged in 2002 under
the military's “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” law
for honestly identifying himself as a gay man, continues
to work with the gays-in-the-military issue.
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