On SpyCast: Coming out in the CIA

It’s pride month — and the color, glitter, and music for D.C.’s World Pride events belied the difficulties of decades past. In the 1950s, the Lavender Scare saw thousands of gay personnel purged from government jobs, simply out of fear that they could be blackmailed. But even by 1988, when Tracey Ballard went to take her polygraph to keep working at the CIA, a gay person could be fired for their sexual orientation.

In this episode of SpyCast, Tracey describes coming out to her polygrapher — the first step in an elaborate process which led her to become the first openly gay employee in the CIA. She was tired of living under a different sort of cover. Even after surviving an all-male security review and awkward conversations with managers she had never met, colleagues distanced themselves from her to avoid suspicion by association.

Over time, Tracey’s visibility in the CIA helped others to come out. She eventually started ANGLE, a resource group that pushed the agency for equitable treatment. Even when the culture began to shift, LGBTQ officers had to self-select out of professional opportunities because same-sex marriage wasn’t legal.

Today, policy changes under the Trump administration have disbanded resource groups, including ANGLE. “It was a shock,” Tracey told me. “A lot of the older generations are talking to the younger generations. They’re mentoring them. They’re giving them the support like we did in the old days.”

Tracy drove across the country to sit down with me in person for this interview. And at the end of our conversation, I asked her about what she would say to her polygrapher, if she could see her again. Tears filled her eyes as she told me that she would thank her. “Being kind goes a long way.”

Episode length: 28 minutes

Listen: On Spotify | On Apple Podcasts