Captain James K. Dressel (October 14, 1943 – March 24, 1992) was an Air Force pilot, and a Michigan politician in the 1970s and early 1980s.
Although he was a conservative Republican, in 1983 he co-sponsored the state's first bill to protect gay and lesbian people from discrimination in employment and housing.
Beginning in 1970, he served a tour of duty in the Vietnam War, piloting fighter jets and bombing enemy supply runs from a base in Thailand, receiving the Distinguished Flying Cross and other decorations.
[2] Although he was a conservative Goldwater Republican, he cooperated with Democratic legislators on programs to aid the city of Detroit and other practical issues facing the state.
[3] A 40-year-old bachelor, he was subsequently speculated to be gay, but refused at the time to confirm or deny it, citing the principle he was trying to demonstrate: that it shouldn't matter.