Tracey Ballard is from Bladensburg, Maryland, and was raised by a single mother.
At the time, openly gay Americans were barred from holding security clearances, a rule that was not repealed until 1995.
Ballard's admission led to a year-and-a-half long personnel investigation, with CIA ultimately ruling that she could keep her clearance.
[3] Dating back to the 1953, gay people were believed to be a security risk due to their vulnerability to blackmail.
[1][4][5] Within CIA, in 1996 Ballard founded and was the longtime chair of the Agency Network of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Officers and Allies (ANGLE), CIA's gay, lesbian and transgender group.