Suicide Attempt & Lifestyle Issues

SECURITY CLEARANCE Q&A
1

Greetings!

I was discharged late last year from the military due to my involvement with my spouse in the BDSM scene in the region. I’ve been out to my family for years and don’t consider it something I can be blackmailed for. However, the military felt that despite it was me that brought that involvement to them (requesting to work as a bouncer at one of the clubs) that I should have my clearance suspended and I should be discharged. To complicate matters I tried to kill myself a year and a half ago not too long after they suspended my clearance.

Since then I have received professional counseling to deal with my PTSD issues that led to my suicide attempt and was separated with a general discharge. I never was never charged with anything in the criminal or civilian world – the military just didn’t take me being involved in that subculture too due to its own values. I have a clean criminal record and have never had any financial difficulties. All kink related stuff was legal and consensual and not a secret to my family.
Sadly, I discharged without being adjudicated. Finding a sponsor has been painful. I badly need some advice on what to do… I need a sponsor to be adjudicated, but I need an active clearance to have a sponsor. It is a nasty Catch-22.

Thank you,

DownAndOut

2

Your scenario is not clear and does not make a whole lot of sense. If your clearance was revoked because of sexual conduct concerns then your lifestyle choices did impact the decision. BDSM in and of itself would not be disclosed during a background investigation unless someone thought it was a concern that could be used against you or the agency you worked for. No agency will conduct a background investigation on you before they have made the decision to hire you. You cannot be granted a clearance unless there is a valid need to have one, hence you have to be hired first. The mental health issue is a separate issue that needs to be documented by a medical professional who can provide an opinion that it is no longer a concern.